Sonny with a Chance of Losing Him
by yetti
Summary: Yes, it's another Sonny/Chad, but don't worry, it's different. Sonny slams the door and huffs past Tawni in the dressing room, but they hear a crash outside the door. What could it be?
1. Chapter 1

_My first SOWC fic, so give a girl a break. I just love Sonny and Chad together, so i couldn't resist writing about them. It's a Sonny/Chad relationship with a twist, so enjoy - hopefully it's a bit different to the rest of this type._

* * *

"Fine!"

"Fine."

Sonny slammed the door and stormed past a confused Tawni Hart to her dresser. There was silence in the dressing room for a moment before a crash erupted from behind the previously slammed door.

Sonny glanced up from her angry pout and narrowed her eyes, a small amount of curiosity spreading across her face – she had too nice a disposition to feel suspicious in the least. Tawni, oblivious to the daggers still coming from Sonny's eyes, quickly got up and rushed to the see what had caused the offending noise, eager for information she could later spread around the props room.

Sonny watched as her friend of sorts pulled back the door with freshly manicured hands, flicking her perfect blonde hair and elegantly strutting into the hall, and she heard as said-friend gasped. Sonny, trying not to rush and look worried, followed her and was shocked at what she found. Josh, the studio's mail-delivery boy, clasped his hand over his open mouth, equally shocked at what he saw, despite having had a short while longer than Sonny to organize himself to the scene.

It seemed he'd been making use of the empty hallway, riding his mail cart to speed up his work and make his day less tedious… again. However, his hair was particularly fluffy that day, and, having flopped into his face, it blocked his view of one Chad Dylan Cooper. As would be expected, the cart crashed straight into the teen star and knocked him down. To make matters worse, the weight of all the fan mail that needed to be delivered daily meant the cart carried on over top of the fallen Chad, and stopped halfway up his chest.

Of course, this was the scene that greeted Tawni and Sonny.

A small amount of thick, crimson liquid pooled around one of Chad's arms, which was a an awkward angle. The wheel of the cart seemed to be somewhat imbedded in his chest, also producing blood, but this time the blood poured out of his chest and drizzled down his side. It seemed he'd also been knocked unconscious by the fall.

Almost immediately after she'd assessed the situation, Sonny fell to her knees beside Chad, he little, but sufficient, first aid training finally making itself useful.

"Chad?" She gently shook his shoulder, "Chad, can you hear me?"

He didn't move.

"Tawni," Sonny turned to her co-star on 'So Random!' with a serious tone, "Call 911."

As she spoke, Tawni nodded and pulled out her sequined iPhone and dialled the all-important number.

Sonny looked back at the injured Chad and quickly glanced over the three main injuries: his head, chest and arm. It didn't look like there was an open fracture on his head, so she couldn't do anything there at the moment, and though the chest was bleeding a lot it wasn't excessively deep. However, his arm was shattered, bone poking out through the skin in several places; that would almost certainly need surgery to reset it.

Sonny turned to Josh this time, "I need you to help me move this."

As she instructed the mail boy she indicated to the mail cart and got to her feet. Between them they managed to lift it a few inches and slide it out of the way.

"Ok," Sonny knelt back down and bit her lip. She may have sounded calm and confident, but her heart was beating a mile of minute; she was surprised the other two couldn't hear it pounding out of her chest.

They looked at her expectantly, and she realised she was Chad's only hope at the moment, and he was losing blood fast.

"Ok," she repeated, "Josh, give me your t-shirt."

She held out her hand, but when he didn't give it to her after a few moments, she looked angrily up at him, about to snap and threaten to rip it off if he didn't give it up in three seconds, but as she did she noticed his face had turned a particularly pallid colour.

"Are you okay, Josh?" She was about to get Tawni to hold him up when he let out a squeaky mutter.

"Bl-blood." He then proceeded to fall to the floor with a thud.

Sonny sighed. She needed his t-shirt.

Tawni pulled of her cotton D&G cardigan and passed it to her only real friend, "Take mine."

Sonny was impressed; Tawni didn't seem to care that her highly expensive, highly fashionably piece of clothing was about to be stained in blood, nor did she appear to care that her Jimmy Choo's were slowly turning pink as they soaked up the sticky blood now staining the carpet in the hall.

Sonny quickly thanked her and proceeded to rip it into strips (at this, though, she heard an audible reaction from Tawni). Half of these she pressed into Chad's chest wound.

"Keep pressure on that." Before Tawni had even reached it, Sonny was working on the arm.

'The most important thing, as far as I can remember,' Sonny thought, 'Is not to move it too much in case it catches a blood vessel or damages surrounding tissue… but…'

"It's bleeding too much." Tawni voiced Sonny's thoughts. "You have to try and bandage it, at least."

Sonny was unsure what to do. Suddenly, the pressure and the blood and the fact that Chad – whom she had been arguing childishly with before he'd been run down – was now laying before her unconscious… all of it became too much. Any training Sonny had gathered in her many years of babysitting had disappeared from her mind, and she had no idea what to do. Normally, in tough situations slightly less intense than these she could easily conjure up some sort of plan – granted it didn't usually work, but at least she could fathom what to do.

Now, though, nothing.

"Tawni…" She was on the brink of tears, "I don't, I don't…" She was no longer on the brink of tears as huge wads of water streamed down her cheeks.

Tawni, of course, panicked. She had no idea what to do either, and she had no idea what to do with someone who was crying. She was only used to her own crocodile tears, so she just knelt there, pushing her weight into Chad Dylan Cooper's chest and opening and closing her mouth, bewildered at what her amazing life had come to.

Before either of the flummoxed girls could think what to do, two tall, fluorescent green and yellow figures raced around the corner, lead by security guard Murphy.

Murphy looked odd without a goofy smirk, but nobody noticed in the current conditions. He jumped over Josh, who was starting to stir, and pointed to Chad.

"He's here, he's here, he's here…" His voice jumped an octave upon seeing the blood and he chanted over and over until one of the paramedics interrupted him.

"We know, we know, we know." He gently forced him to move to the other side of the hall to get to Chad. "Wow."

Sonny, relieved to have somebody there who knew what he was doing, stepped back with tears still welling up in the corners of her eyes, occasionally building up enough size to roll over the lid and trickle to her quivering lip.

What they said after that, apart from "Chad?" and "Surgery." was basically french to Sonny. Except she understood more french than she did what they were saying.

They were also much faster than she had been, and got the job of getting Chad on a stretcher and covering up any area of his body that was inadvertently leaking blood in what must have been record time. Before she could ask what was going to happen to Chad, which she'd been reluctant to do in case it distracted them; they were wheeling him off to the ambulance awaiting them outside the studio.

"Who's coming with him?" One of the paramedics asked as they moved at lightening speed through the halls of 'So Random!'

Sonny was about to pipe up when Marshall appeared from around the corner and said "I will."

Sonny furrowed her eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

As the paramedics carted Chad on his stretcher into the ambulance, she finally got up the nerve to talk.

"Which hospital are you taking him to?" She called out just as the doors closed to reveal 'Hollywood Community Hospital' stamped on the back.

"Oh." She started to cry again as the ambulance containing Chad Dylan Cooper drove out of sight.

Tawni, new to both accidents involving that much blood and comforting friends, awkwardly wrapped her arm around Sonny's slender shoulders, brushing her hand over her soft, dark brown hair (which she had always been ever so slightly jealous of, though would never in a million lifetimes admit it).

"Do you need a ride to the hospital?" She offered.

Sonny didn't think Tawni had ever been this nice in her life, nor did she think she ever would be again, but at this point she didn't really care. She eagerly accepted the offer with a nod.

* * *

The drive had only taken about ten minutes, but Sonny had managed to calm herself down in this time. She hadn't wanted to. In fact, she'd wanted to cry until her body ran dry, but she knew she had to be strong so not to freak out Tawni, who was clearly anxious about how to act around an upset friend, and so she could be there for Chad.

The whole incident was her fault, she was sure of that much. If she hadn't argued with Chad and upset him, he wouldn't have been storming through the halls and therefore wouldn't have collided with Josh's cart. He'd be fine.

To add to that, it'd been on her suggestion that Josh had let his hair get that long, so there was absolutely no doubt that she was entirely to blame.

The lighting inside the reception to the emergency room in the hospital was unbelievably bright, especially in comparison to the fading light outside. On any other night Sonny might have noted the remarkably beautiful evening with a gorgeous sunset.

A young receptionist let out a bored sigh as Sonny approached her desk followed closely by Tawni. She had bleached blond hair with pink highlights drawn up into a scruffy bun, and considering she worked in a hospital she had an excessive amount of make up on. To add to this she was chewing gum and blew a large, pink bubble as Sonny opened her mouth to speak.

Sonny's jaw jutted out. She wasn't going to like this girl.

"Hi," Always the good girl, Sonny tried to remain polite, "I'm looking for my friend who was brought in a few minutes ago. Can you help me?"

The receptionist chewed for a moment, before a befuddled look etched its way into her eyebrows and pursed lips.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked, ignoring Sonny's question.

Sonny only just refrained from growling. "I'm sure you do, but can you help me?"

The receptionist shook her head slowly, as if trying to dislodge a distant memory. "I'm sure I know you from somewhere."

Tawni stepped in. "You know us from 'So Random!' However, we're not here for that, we're here for our friend, and I'm not entirely sure I could restrain Sonny here if you keep at this little game."

Upon hearing 'So Random!' the girl's eye lit up and her face filled with a mixture of excitement and realisation, but she wisely chose to swiftly move on.

"What's you friend's name?" She clicked away at the computer as she said this.

"Chad Dylan Cooper." Sonny quickly blurted out.

The girl gasped. "Chad Dylan Cooper is in this ho…" When she caught sight of Sonny's face, she froze mid-sentence. "I mean… Let me just see."

She typed viciously into the computer and stopped herself from beaming when his name popped up, "He's here."

Sonny nodded. "Where is he?"

"I'll have someone take you to where he's staying," she replied, "Take a seat."

After a brief phone call and several moments of impatient waiting, a short, round man entered through the entrance to the hospital and called out, "Who's looking for Chad Dylan Cooper?"

Sonny and Tawni stood up in unison.

The man eyed them with a dirty smile. "Follow me."

Once the girls had left, the receptionist – Becks, short for Rebecca – picked up her small but unbelievably pink cell phone and speed dialled her best friend.

"OMG, Abi," she screeched, "You won't believe who's in the hospital!"

* * *

Sonny felt the immense amount of tension build in the pit of her stomach as she rounded the corner to face Chad's room. How could she go in there after what she'd done? She would literally give up everything she had - her home, her job, her friends - and move back to Wisconsin if it meant Chad would be alright. What was the point of it all anyway, without her daily banter with him?

Wait, what was that? She'd always hated Chad… well, she didn't think it was right to hate, but she'd thought she'd at least really disliked him. His ego, his attitude, his charm…

Before she could continue that thought, Sonny saw Room 343: Chad's room. The guilt was literally enough to drown her. She wanted to run screaming through the corridors saying "It's my fault!" At least then people would know, and they could punish her accordingly. They could throw her off the roof, or drown her in the birthing pools, or use the sterilising ovens to cook her, and then serve her to Chad to build up his strength.

The anxiety was too much, so Sonny rushed past Merve the pervey hospital assistant and was about to burst in when her kind nature stopped her and made her knock. There was a muffled call that sounded like "come in" so she entered.

It was worse than she'd thought it would be. Chad had his arm strung out straight above his head and all of his clothing had been cut off to check for further damage. He was covered only by a sheet around his midriff, which had been pulled down by the doctor that was currently stitching up the cut on his chest. There was still a lot of blood coming from this particular wound, and he looked terrible. Worst of all, he was still unconscious.

Didn't they normally wake him up somehow, to check where it hurts and stuff? Was this right? Did this mean his head injury was even worse than Sonny had imagined, which frankly she'd thought was impossible?

"Oh, my god." Sonny covered her mouth in horror.

The doctor continued concentrating on his work, so she turned to Marshall, who was sitting by the bed looking pale.

He smiled sympathetically. "He's in a coma."

* * *

_Okay, so what did ya think? Any good? Please review, i feel happy when i get reviews, and i need to be happy right now. I have my Physics GCSE in 2 days. Seriously, review._

_Also, stay tuned for more exciting happenings... and so on. Ly all._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey all. Thanks for all the amazing support and reveiws!!! Ly, all. This is for TrinityFlower of Memeories for replying to my random PMs._

Sonny's knees buckled when she heard Marshall tell her Chad was in a coma. A coma! How had this happened; it was only a runaway mail cart, for heavens sake!

'That's it,' she thought, 'He's going to die, and I will never live with myself and the whole world of Chad's fans will forever blame me and I'll end up alone with no money – since the studio will obviously fire me after this – and I won't have any friends, because…'

Even as she thought this, the doctor was finishing the stitches to Chad's chest, and she had to divert her thought to a more productive mind frame.

"What's happening?" She hadn't noticed before she'd spoken, but the waver in her voice and the tears now pooling at the corners of her mouth made her realise she was crying.

Marshall got up nervously as the doctor rushed out of the room without a word.

"They have to release the blood building up in his brain," His voice was barely above a whisper, "There's pressure in there that can do some serious damage. That's why he's in a coma."

Sonny shook her head absentmindedly. This couldn't be happening. It had to some horrible nightmare. Some really horrible nightmare.

"And his arm?" The high pitch of her voice surprised even her.

Marshall, however, seemed perfectly prepared for any reaction she might have in this situation, including the squeak of a voice. "They'll have to reset it with a load of pins in surgery, but the brain thing is a bit more urgent."

Sonny nodded and nearly jumped a mile when a cold, manicured hand landed on her slouched shoulder. Tawni gently squeezed it for support.

It's funny, Sonny hadn't even noticed she'd come in the room. She didn't seem to be noticing anything. Every part of her mind and body was focused on Chad: the wires strapped to his chest, the IV plugged into his veins, the deep purple bags weighing down his eye lids, his severe lack of clothing, his long, sturdy muscles…

This wasn't the time.

"When will they…" Before she could even ask the question, a series of several doctors, including the one who had been working on his chest, and nurses all piled into the tiny room and started surrounding Chad, urgently muttering stats and instructions.

One of the nurses gently pulled on Sonny – probably because she didn't look like she was entirely over the shock – to lead her out of the room, and the others (Tawni, Marshall and Merve the perve) simply followed.

While Sonny could no longer see Chad and those who rushed around him, prepping him for surgery, she could hear them scuffle across the floor and whisper among each other, and she felt oddly comforted. They were there for him. Maybe he'd be alright after all.

The nurse had a kind face, with gentle laugh lines around her eyes and deep blue eyes. She turned to them, and motioned to Merve to leave.

He scowled, but quickly composed his features, turning to Sonny, then realising what a state she was in, and instead turning to Tawni.

"If you need anything…" He gripped her elbow with his porky fingers, "Anything… Just gimme a call, okay?"

Tawni screwed up her nose and shrugged out of his grasp as he turned on his heels and scuttled off down the quiet hall.

The nurse sighed after him, but turned back to the group with a compassionate look. "I think you should know: Normally, in a case like this the patient waked up after the surgery to his brain, and the release of the pressure. If he wakes up in the next 48 hours without a hitch, there shouldn't be any permanent damage.

"And if he doesn't?" Sonny felt the concern race across her features, her eyebrows leaning in and furrowing together; her soft mouth turning down into a worried pout.

She paused. "We'll come to that when we need to."

Maybe he wouldn't be alright.

* * *

"No way."

"Way."

"No way."

"Way."

"No _way_."

"Okay, that's enough now." Becks swivelled on her chair so she could pretend she hadn't just seen two men helping a third man limp into the reception of the emergency room. "But, seriously, what should I do? I mean, I'm not _supposed_ to leave the desk, but I SO wanna see him, ya know?"

Abi nodded on her end, but stopped herself when she realised Becks wouldn't be able to see her nod, and voiced her opinion aloud. "I could come down? I'm not busy or anything."

Becks squealed. "That would be SO awesome!" She giggled nervously, "I'm gonna meet Chad Dylan Cooper! O. M. G."

"I. Know." Abi squealed equally excitedly, and blurted out, "I'll be there asap; 'bout ten minutes?"

"See ya then!" Becks slammed the phone down and smiled energetically.

She stared at the picture of Chad Dylan Cooper on the office calendar for a moment, before a cough from behind her interrupted her somewhat inappropriate thoughts. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the men that had been limping up to the reception were now at the desk.

She let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face them. "Yes?"

People could be so rude.

* * *

In the meantime, Abi – Becks' best gossip girl friend – rushed around her office gathering pens, notebooks, cameras and the like from odd draws and surfaces. She pulled on a light cardigan and grabbed her car keys.

As she exited the room, she almost walked straight into her boss, and sister, Alisha Greggs, and dropped her flask of freshly boiled coffee onto the floor, the metal container cracking and spilling the contents across the carpeted floor.

Ali – as Abi nicknamed her when they were 5 – clicked her fingers and her PA scurried off to get the janitor to clean the mess. Before the terrified young girl was even out of sight, Ali snapped her head back to Abi and placed her bony fingers on her hips.

"Where are _you_ going?" She said, in a voice far too girly to match her bony features and sharp suit.

"I…" Whenever Ali got into a fierce mood as such, Abi found herself inadvertently stuttering. Being the younger and more submissive, though much curvier and attractive, of twins in this case played the main part in creating this relationship. "I got a call from Becks, at Hollywood Community Hospital. Chad Dylan Cooper's been taken in after an accident at work."

"Excellent." An odd choice of words in the situation, granted, but Abi understood why she'd said this. "I told you having a contact in the hospital would give you an edge. Always choose the brainless receptionist as a source!"

As she stated the last of her points, she was already making her way to finish off her rounds.

Of course Abi worked in the tabloids. Thank god Becks had no idea; otherwise she'd turn to her other 'friends' and give them the up-to-date scoop. Abi had to be ahead of the game, and to do this she had to trick almost every receptionist in every hospital in Hollywood to gain her edge.

As the elevator doors slid closed, Abi could hear her doppelganger announce the news to her colleagues.

"The Celebrity Health Department has just gotten a lead that suggests Chad Dylan Cooper has been taken into hospital following an incident at his studio. We need Update over there to see if we can figure out what happened. I want History to do a bio for his life as a star so far… and mention him in…"

The doors closed and cut her off. There was a reason that Ali was the editor and Abi was a measly reporter.

* * *

"How can this be taking so long?" Sonny paced as the others remained silent, obviously less concerned with his life than she was.

She could spit at them, the lack of caring they seemed to be showing.

But, Marshall did look as if he was incapable of ever removing his head from his hands… and Tawni always gave a worried, yet sympathetic and comforting, look to Sonny when she happed to glance in her direction. Perhaps she was being harsh. Chad's parents hadn't shown up; when Chad had mentioned them, he'd said something about him only being a money making scheme of theirs, and how they'd be sad if he died, but only because they'd lose a source of income.

But, Portlyn, who had shown up an hour ago, stared quietly into space, blinking when necessary. When she'd arrived, she was very blasé, saying "What's he done, now?" and "That idiot." Everyone was shocked at how little she seemed to give a damn, but when they fully explained the implications of being in a coma and the brain damage and the blood loss… It hurt Sonny to even remember talking about it, and she couldn't stop running through everything over and over in her head, but at least it had shut Portlyn up.

"Seriously!" Sonny looked over at each of the waiting friends of Chad Dylan Cooper and regressed to the snapping stage.

But she knew it wasn't they best way to get an answer from somebody, so she took a breath.

Being the good-girl-Hollywood wasn't easy in a situation like this. She wondered how those people she saw on television could ever not kill reporters and their prising questions. She was sorely tempted to rip of a doctor that couldn't provide her with a response to one of her questions, and they were supposed to be helping!

It suddenly hit her that they had probably had exactly the same thought track; snap at anyone who looked vaguely happy, go quiet while thinking about how to get through the stress of the situation, and finally calm down enough to appear as they grieving friend or family member to get sympathy and the coveted answers.

Sonny let out a gentle sob. Immediately, every pair of eyes in the room turned on her and the threat of a mental breakdown. It didn't take much effort to bring on the tears; after all, the stimulus was there.

"I just…" Sob, "I just want to _know._" Emphasised sob with a sniffle.

Marshall awkwardly placed his hand on her head as she sank into the seat next to him. "The doctors said they couldn't tell the extent of the damage until they opened him up. It could take a few more hours…"

Tawni mumbled her agreement.

Sonny let the tears flow. A few more hours. A few more hours before she would know if he was okay. A few more hours until she could fully justify the guilt she felt with evidence of his injury. A few more hours until she could see _him_.

Suddenly, something dawned on her.

"Wait." Everybody froze, even Sonny – mid sob, "They're operating on his brain."

Portlyn snorted, as if she'd known all along. "Um, yeah!"

Sonny let out a desperate cry. "That means they have to shave his hair! Now he's gonna hate me forever.

And nothing anyone could do would stop her bawling.

_Sorry not much really happens in this chap, but it's all leading up to stuff. Ya know, introducing characters and all that jazz. Plus a bit 'o' dark humour. Props to anyone who noticed. __Reviews make the world go round, and so far mine is spinning, so whirl that top that is the earth and review... _

_Ooh, my hamster just climbed on top of her wheel... and now she fell off... Well, she'd allowed to be a bit ditzy, she has babies to look after. _

_Anyhoo, ly and thanks again._


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry this took so long, i kinda got writer's block... if that's possible. Anyhoo, i'm trying to make it a little bit less doomy-gloomy, so bare with me. Enjoy, and please review. Ly._

Marshall rushed into the waiting room, a black coffee stain spreading across his white shirt and a now-empty cup in his hands, interrupting the dead silence that greeted him. He took a few seconds to catch his breath as the others realised that something big must have happened to have made him run. They gathered anxiously around him, not sure whether to be happy, nervous or distraught.

He wheezed as he spoke, "They've finished. Chad is out of surgery."

Marshall didn't like this boy very much. He was always hanging around Sonny, interrupting rehearsals and getting the good stuff at lunch. He didn't want him to get hurt or anything, of course, and the relief he felt hearing Chad was ready to be seen probably matched all bar Sonny's, but the only reason he was still here was due to a feeling of responsibility. A child had been hurt in his part of the studio, and it was down to him to ensure he got through the experience with his life…

He'd never been in a life or death situation before, and the whole idea seemed somewhat abstract. Working in show business made it harder to pick things in perspective.

"The doctor said we can go and meet him in his original room." Even as he spoke, Sonny was leading everyone to room 343.

Her determined face prevented anyone from questioning her sense of direction when they ended up outside of the paediatrics ward, or when they passed x-ray twice, or even when they passed x-ray a third time. Putting any sort of doubt in her mind was the worst thing they could have done, because it opened up room for more doubt, and they couldn't allow that.

"Finally." When they reached 343, Portlyn let out a loud sigh and muttered something about how hard it was to walk in her heels, and then a young, attractive male nurse hurried by, looking busy.

He was leaning over somebody's charts as he walked and didn't appear to be paying attention.

Portlyn smirked to herself, and said "Enter Portlyn." almost too low for anybody to hear.

She changed her direction and swerved into him, innocently falling to the ground when he predictably walked into her. She even added a dramatic, yet dainty, gasp to draw any of his attention she didn't already hold.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" He bent down and dropped the charts onto the floor, freeing his hands to help her.

As he pulled it up, they shared one of those eye-gazing moments when, were they in a cheesy romantic movie, music would have played, and both could tell they would not be alone tonight.

"I'm sorry," he said again, "I really should look where I'm going more often."

Portlyn shook her head, a sweet smile that hinted at embarrassment covering her face, "No, no. I wasn't looking either. It was my fault."

"Don't be silly." Though they were clearly debating the matter, nobody would have guessed it by the tone of their voice.

There was a second before either of them talked again, but it was the nurse who spoke.

"I'm Paul." He stuck out his hand with a gallant smile.

Portlyn smiled back, "And I'm…"

"Portlyn. I know," He pulled his hand back and looked at the ground awkwardly, before Portlyn could even reach and shake it. "I watch Mackenzie Falls."

"Well," Portlyn caught his eyes, "It's very nice to meet you."

At this point, Tawni realised she had a new-found respect for Portlyn. Nobody had thought she could actually act. Yes, she would have done it better, and at a more opportune moment, but still.

"Tawni." Marshall touched her shoulder and she turned to see that he and Sonny were waiting with pained expressions. "Just leave her."

In all honesty, the three were quite pleased she had been distracted. None of them thought she deserved to be there, or that she was close enough to offer him any kind of support, so they ignored her as they pushed open the door.

Apparently there was method to Sonny's madness of loosing herself around the hospital, as they found Chad was already there, two nurses working around him.

* * *

Her mouth said "Hey, Becks!" and bared her teeth in a false grin, but Abi was actually thinking 'Damn. Now I have to waste time chatting when I'm supposed to be working.'

Becks rushed back out of the reception, away from a patient mid-conversation, and moments later popped out of the door to the side. She was wearing a very tight, short, fluorescent pink dress and matching heels, none of which suited her skin tone – Abi instantly rolled her eyes. Were she still a beauty writer, she would have rushed to do a piece covering her impending makeover.

"OMG, I am so psyched that we are about to meet Chad Dylan Cooper in the flesh!" Her voice, which was already an octave higher than usual, broke on the last word and accented her enthusiasm.

"Or there lack of…" Abi scolded herself immediately after saying this.

Becks shook her head, confused, her smile wavering. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" What could she say that wouldn't freak Becks out? "How badly was he hurt?"

Becks frowned, her overly-plucked eyebrows creasing. "Um… it can't be too bad…"

"Why not?" The reporter in Abi snapped out questions faster than the average person, but Becks mistook this for concern.

"Somebody said it involved a mail cart." She snorted, as if this proved a point.

Abi sighed in mock relief. "Well, let's go see him." For effect, she added a "Squee!"

Becks could not walk in the obscenely high heels. Abi realised this within the first two minutes of following her, whilst also taking in her surroundings, mentally noting all of the useful pieces of information Becks mentioned – which were few and far between – and anything around the hospital that she could include in a story. It was easy to take in all of the gloom and doom the hospital provided for a writer, so she let all of the creative juices flow and stored any that sounded good to her.

'It is easy to discern the experienced doctors from the newbies, rendering the question "Who is treating Chad?"'

'Walking down a hospital hallway, one gets the sense that each patient is treated equal to the next. Unlike in a mall, there aren't masses of teenage girls – or doctors or nurses - flocking to meet the famous (and sometimes infamous) Chad Dylan Cooper.'

'The dim lights in the late-night hospital have no comparison to the studio lights Chad is used to…'

An annoying voice interrupted her last thought, but it came with somewhat useful intelligence, so she suppressed the urge to throttle her in her heels.

"Chad's in room 343," She said it like this was a vital piece of news, and when Abi didn't gasp she felt the need to explain. "Room 343? You know, _CDC_, Chad's initials, and room _343_? Don't worry; it took me a while to figure it out, too. They're linked by the alphabet… the third letter of the alphabet is C…"

Abi quickly cut her off. "I understand."

Becks continued to pout until they spotted room 343. Abi fingered the pen and notebook she had in her side-bag, anxious to write down all of her thoughts before they became too much and she ran out of space in her memory banks. However, rather than revelling in the moment, Abi decided to PEE.

Permission, Exaggeration and Excellence were the three things her sister considered necessary in the celebrity columns, and to 'help' her sister she instituted the pneumonic: PEE.

First was permission; in order to print an article, the news had to be public knowledge or there had to be some form of permission given, so to prevent legal issues. As this was very new information, it was clearly the latter, so Abi pulled at Becks' arm and put on a nervous face.

"Are you sure we're allowed to do this?" She bit her lip.

Becks rolled her eyes dramatically. "Of course! In fact they encourage us to 'regularly visit the patients', to boost morality or something."

Abi smiled. That was enough permission for her.

They edged towards the door, excitement flitting across both of their faces, albeit for different reasons; this was the celebrity-of-a-lifetime and the story-of-a-lifetime.

* * *

Chad was perfectly still in the gurney, the only sounds in the room were his life-support machines and the scuffling of the nurses' sensible shoes. He now wore a hospital gown, and the bedclothes were neatly tucked in around his body. His arm was in both a cast and some sort of metal frame, and Sonny could see parts of the dressing for the deep cut on his chest. The scariest thing about his appearance was the bandaging on his head hiding all manner of sin, including Chad without hair. Sonny could, however, be certain that he had no hair, as a small part of his scalp was showing on the left side of the top of his head; it was pink and smooth. After that, Sonny allowed herself to be distracted by the nurse who had turned to talk to them. Looking at Chad would inspire more gloomy – if not slightly more ominous – thoughts.

"The surgery went well…" A pause.

Of course there was a pause. For Sonny, there's always a pause, both in the literal and the metaphorical sense.

The nurse avoided eye contact. It was the same nurse they had been talking to before the surgery, but this time her kind face was tainted by hidden disappointment.

She started talking again, her voice calm and supportive, "And while everything went according to plan, he's still not waking up. We've given him some medication that should have made him a little more responsive, but it doesn't seem to have had an effect. Our only option is to wait."

Sonny's face screwed up, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry. She had to pull it together, for Chad.

"We can't do anything?" She wasn't so much posing a question as stating a fact.

Sonny felt doubt flooding her body, and now she was about to drown as she was told there was nothing she could do. Nothing to ease the pain… to distract her from facing losing Chad.

"We're doing all that we can," the nurse smiled, radiating kindness as always, "But you can help."

Before she could speak another word, Sonny interjected, "I'll do anything!"

The nurse nodded, looking serious. "We like to believe that people in a coma can still hear everyone around them; sometimes they feel comforted enough knowing they are surrounded by people they love that they emerge from a coma."

Sonny looked uneasy. It seemed too good to be true that he could hear them, and she didn't want to let herself hope – hope seemed to be a distant emotion that couldn't be reached.

"I know how you feel, Sonny." The nurse caught Sonny's attention again, her warm smile making it easier not to drown in the haze of uncertainty. "When you came in, I could see you wanted to cry, but you didn't. You saw that he needed you to be strong for him, and you were strong. Now he needs you to stay strong, and keep hope. Don't loose faith in him, and she'll pull through. Without your hope, he'll have nothing to guide him home."

Sonny stared into space for several minutes, and no-one dared say anything. Silence filled the room as Sonny regressed into her mind to think.

Chad needed her to hope. He needed her to believe he could pull through. He needed her to know he would pull through. Chad was going to pull though.

Sonny smiled.

Tawni let out a small breath, but otherwise the room remained silent.

"He's going to be fine…" Sonny, though more confident in the statement, still raised in pitch at the end to suggest a question.

There was another long pause, with only the beeps and whirs coming from beside Chad in his bed disturbing the quiet.

"I think he'll be okay." There was still a fragment of hesitation in her words, but they chose to ignore it, and an air of relief settled upon the group, as though her words were an answer to all of their uncertainties.

The nurse took a step back as Tawni and Marshall surrounded Sonny in a gentle hug. Marshall held onto her shoulder, a reflection of the support he was prepared to give her, and Tawni wrapped one arm around Sonny's waist and used the other to pull her head to her shoulder.

This picture of relief and support was quickly interrupted.

Becks swung the door open and hit the nurse on the shin as she dragged Abi in behind her.

The loudness of her voice made everyone shudder and look anxiously over at Chad to check it didn't in some way hurt him or render him unable to hear again in his lifetime. It didn't.

"See, I told you it'd be fine!" She somehow managed to worm her way past everyone – Abi in tail – apart from Sonny.

"What are you doing?!" Sonny's hand twitched as she resisted the urge to smack this stupid girl and her friend.

Becks smiled. "We are huge fans of…"

Abi yanked at Becks' hand and forced her to the back of the room.

"We heard about the accident, and we wanted to show support." Abi smiled sweetly, pulling off an innocent-girl look perfectly. "We love Chad Dylan Cooper, and we just want him to be okay."

Sonny decided she would just punch the receptionist, not this new girl.

"Is that okay?" Abi's gentle voice, especially in comparison to Becks', wooed Sonny into a false sense of security.

Sonny took a moment, but chose to let this girl to see Chad. She stepped to the side, but not so much they could actually pass; they probably wouldn't hurt him or anything, but she wouldn't chance it.

"OMG!" Becks' face screwed up in complete horror, which almost instantly transformed into disgust. "_That's_ Chad? He looks… horrible. Urg-mmph…"

Before Becks could make the situation any worse, Abi slapped a hand across her mouth. This was an amazing story, and Abi quickly made the decision: dump the source and snatch the story (a phrase coined by her sister, no less).

"Have a _heart_, Becks, GOD!" Abi pushed her away, heading to the door. Tawni assisted her in removing the receptionist from hell and thanked her at the door.

As Becks stormed off down the hall she was yelling something about 'never being friends again'. Huge loss.

"I'm quite certain you saved her life. One more word and Sonny would have thrown her out the window." Tawni smirked at the fleeing Becks.

Abi half-smiled. "I'm so sorry. I…"

Tawni nodded. "Yeah?"

"Could I maybe come back in the morning?" Abi avoided looking at Tawni to create the illusion of shame, after all, if Becks were her friend she would be appalled.

Tawni bit her lip and turned to Sonny.

Sonny had clearly heard all of that, as she nodded to her friend, before turning back to Chad, a woeful look upon her face. What Becks had said had really hurt her.

"Yeah, sure." Tawni smiled again, and closed the door.

Abi, instead of celebrating her success, snatched her notebook out of her bag and scribbled down some key descriptions and facts. First on her list:

_**Tawni Hart looks to Sonny Munroe for decisions concerning Chad.**_

_**Sonny Munroe loves Chad Dylan Cooper???**_

_I hope that last sentence makes you squee. All of you. Hamster update: fyi, i have two hamster, who were named Peanut and Pepper... suffice to say: we now have six, and Peanut is called Sweet Pea. The babs are two and a half weeks old and already miniature versions of their parents. Don't laugh, but i named them after the Jonas Brothers because they were squeaking really loudly when i was playing their music, and it sounded like they were singin along..._

_Oh no, a moth is in my room!!! Eep. Turn off lights..._

_Okay, it's gone._

_Hope you enjoyed the chap. More to come soon._


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey, all, big stuff happening in this chapter. I think my hamster is pregnant again... Enjoy:_

"Are you sure you don't want to get some rest?" Marshall put his hand on Sonny's shoulder. "It's been a long day…"

Sonny was shaking her head before he'd finished talking.

The scene in Chad Dylan Cooper's hospital room was a typical one. Sonny, a guilt-ridden picture of pity, with her hair pulled into a loose ponytail accompanied by an unidentifiable number of knots and mascara and the like smudged, and hastily rubbed away so she could appear calm, was sitting awkwardly so that her butt was balancing on the edge of an uncomfortable hospital chair and her upper body was leaning against the edge of Chad's bed. Tawni had fallen asleep in a much more comfortable chair in the corner, before Marshall – who had shuffled in excess, to prevent himself from falling asleep, from chair to standing, with regular intervals for coffee runs – had woken her up and announced they should head home.

Sonny, of course, had refused.

There had been a very hushed argument, which involved a lot of shushing and nervous glances at Chad, but Sonny had won. There was no doubt that Sonny wouldn't be moved, not without being sedated. So, Sonny confirmed with her mum that she would be staying with Chad indefinitely, and everybody agreed that this was the best option.

Marshall and Tawni did not, however, feel obligated to stay, so Sonny encouraged them to go home and sleep.

"I'm fine here." Sonny gave him a smile that was meant to verify that, but instead it just came across as a weak grimace. "I wouldn't sleep at home, anyway."

Marshall nodded, having learnt that arguing would be in vain, and led the droopy Tawni out. And so Sonny was alone.

Before she'd left for home, the nurse who had helped Sonny _so_ much – Lucy – had suggested Sonny try talking to him. She said he might be able to hear her, and feel comforted, even so much as to come out of his coma.

Sonny sat up. She was so tired that even that was a chore, but she found that when faced with a situation like this, she could face any task. For Chad.

With weary, hesitant eyes, Sonny focused her gaze on the door for a few minutes, and decided that she was unlikely to be interrupted. So, she turned back to Chad. She was willing to try anything to help Chad, no matter how futile and ridiculously unlikely to work it was.

Her mouth popped open and closed several times before she built up the nerve – and strength – to speak.

"Chad?" Her voice croaked. "I…"

Her mind seemed to be the only thing working in her body and yet she could think of nothing to say; nothing that would inspire a comatose Chad Dylan Cooper to wake up and get the hell on the way to recovery.

"You have no hair." Sonny paused.

If anything, telling Chad about his looks would stir him into consciousness, but there was no change in his demeanour, so she tried something different.

"I don't know what I'll do if you… The studio won't be the same…" She laughed nervously to distract herself from all the awkward conversations this would lead to if he could in fact hear her.

His heart rate stayed the same, indicated with the regular beeps, and his breathing was still controlled by the machine. This would never work.

"Don't leave me in that studio on my own, Chad…" Sonny quickly stopped herself there, knowing any more of this would end in sobs.

After a while she started talking, slower and more to herself this time, "You know, you'd like it here." She began to fiddle with the edge of the blanket absentmindedly. "There are cute nurses to flirt with, receptionist that are willing to drool over you – though not without your hair, that fickle cow – and I'm sure you could haggle with the kitchen to provide you with meals suitable for a king… I'm even here. It's like you never left the studio, only it's a hospital."

Slowly, her shoulders slumped and she slid down so that she was leaning on the edge of the bed, her besheveled hair rubbing gently against Chad's arms.

When she spoke again, her voice was so soft that even if there were any other conscious being in the room, they wouldn't have heard her. "Please wake up."

* * *

Before she knew what had happened, Sonny was woken up by a knock on the door. She hadn't thought she could fall asleep. A young face popped her head around the edge of the door, concern etched across her eyebrows.

Sonny bolted upright, spinning to face Chad. "Is he okay? What's wrong?"

The two questions blurred together, and already Sonny was standing, her hand wavering over Chad's numerous wires and tubes, unsure what she could do to help if there were in fact something wrong.

"No, no…" The girl entered and closed the door behind her. "I just came to visit."

Sonny pulled her body round to face the girl, suspicion finally dawning on her. "And you are?"

The girl smiled nervously. "I came yesterday. With my… friend."

"Oh, right, er…"

"Abi."

Sonny nodded, committing the name o memory. She was always good with names, but it seemed the current predicament had thrown her off.

"So, you wanted…" Sonny motioned for Abi to sit down as she did so herself.

Abi produced a bouquet of flowers – which Chad would have loved were he awake – and placed them ceremonially on the bed side table on the opposite side of Chad to Sonny. As she did this, she slyly caught a glimpse at all of the monitors and machines Chad Dylan Cooper was hooked up to.

His Blood pressure and heart rate were normal, as was his breathing rate, but the brain wave monitor wasn't picking up a huge amount. The odd blip here and wiggle there, but otherwise a somewhat flat line. That wasn't a good sign.

Sonny shuffled so she could see both Chad and Abi at the same time.

They remained silent for a while, Abi opting for a shy approach to the unorthodox interview with Sonny Munroe.

Sonny seemed distant, but a thought brought her back to the room.

"Were there any reporters outside?" She hadn't moved much, but it was obvious she was tense about the answer to said question.

Abi shook her head, feeling apprehensive about saying anything more. Deniability was everything. If she said something about there not being any reporters around, or the news not being leaked, she couldn't later claim that she had always told the truth, and never given any indication that she was not a reporter herself.

Sonny let out an evidently relieved sigh. "I know it's inevitable, but I'm hoping his condition might progress a bit before the world knows."

Without realising it had happened, Sonny had connected with this girl. Few words had passed between them, but the pressure and distress that she was currently under meant that she would turn to anyone for a shoulder to cry on or a friendly face to talk to, or talk at, even. And so, Sonny decided this girl would be that person that she could rely on for moral support, if only for the few minutes she was in here. After all, she was a better option than the old man she had nearly jumped when she had gone to the toilet during Chad's surgery because he'd smiled at her.

"Do you know how it happened?" Sonny asked, hoping that Abi would look interested enough for her to let a load off on her.

Abi shook her head innocently. She was offering the information; it was too easy!

"A mail cart." Sonny looked back at Chad. "It was running out of control down a hall and… say no more. His right arm was shattered into four pieces, and they've pinned that to fix it straight, he had a deep cut from the cart's wheel in his chest, which they've sewn up, and he knocked his head against the floor which caused internal bleeding, so they drilled into his skull to relieve the pressure… by shaving his head…" It seemed that she found it hardest to say this part.

Still in awe and without thinking, Abi blurted out the first thing that came into her mind. "That must have been one heavy cart!"

Sonny let out a humourless laugh. "So he should have come out of a coma by now, but no such luck. We were told that if he wakes up by the end of today, then he should make a full recovery, but if not…"

She didn't finish this, and Abi didn't want to make her. Her nervous babbling was quite frightening, and Abi was starting to realise just how serious this was.

Suddenly, Sonny, seeming determined to change the subject, spoke up, "What time is it, do you know?"

Abi, still a little shocked at the extent of one Chad Dylan Cooper's injuries, looked at her watch and told Sonny it was nine-thirty.

Sonny nodded. She had slept for nine hours; or perhaps more, as she hadn't checked the time for a while before she nodded off. It was longer than she'd wanted, or needed, and guilt edged its way into her mind again. However, remembering all that she had decided, especially based on what Lucy had told her about Chad needing her, she forced it out with more words aimed at Abi.

"It's my fault." Saying it made it truer, in a way, but it meant that instead of the facts poisoning Sonny's mind, they were out in the open.

Saying it actually made her feel better.

"What do you mean?" Abi, though she was still shocked and feeling slightly dumbstruck by the whole situation, felt she had to pry for information; granted it didn't require much effort, as Sonny seemed more than willing to comply with her 'interview', but it was still her job.

"I cause the whole accident." Sonny shuffled as she spoke to face Abi more directly, getting into her blame game. "Josh, the mail boy, was getting depressed about his life and job and stuff-" she waved it off "-so I suggested a few changes.

"One: change his hair. He was into this whole afro thing, so I recommended he let it grow bigger, and bolder.

"Two: I showed him a new game to make his day more interesting. Basically, it was riding down empty halls, but he was happy. Simple things…

"Anyway, put one and two together and you get three: Josh riding down the hall and his long hair blocks his view of approaching Chad…"

Abi just stared at her, quickly closing her drooping chin before Sonny took offence and considered it to be horror at what she was saying. The thing was, this was all too easy. Sonny was giving away her story, and it was a really good one. Sonny had a blame complex, where she was the one causing all of the trouble, and Chad was badly hurt. Readers would buy several copies each.

So why didn't Abi feel over the moon?

"That's not your fault." Abi snapped her mouth closed and remained perfectly motionless.

What was she doing?

Sonny seemed equally stunned. "Pardon?"

"It was an accident. The whole thing." Abi couldn't help but shoot her mouth off. "You were just helping. And Josh didn't mean to do it, either."

Sonny smiled, obviously still disagreeing, but smiled all the same. "That means a lot to me. You don't even know."

Abi smiled kindly – a genuine kindness, not the false kindness she used to get something.

They were peaceful for a while, staring around the room, particularly at Chad.

Abi was curious. "Why are you telling me these things?"

Sonny pulled a face that suggested she wasn't entirely sure herself, but after a moments thought realisation hit her. "I kinda… I need to let it go, and the best way to do that is to tell someone. I guess, by the way you told off your friend yesterday I had you pegged for a nice person. Someone you can trust, you know. So… thanks. For letting me clear my head."

Oh, great, that made her feel good. "Your welcome, I guess."

* * *

It was ten-fifteen. Abi had left (feeling particularly awful as Sonny said she was a really great friend, and that it was Becks' loss) and now Sonny was sitting beside Chad's bed, silent and alone once more.

When the nurse entered, it made her jump slightly. Though the nurses came regularly – about every quarter of an hour – Sonny got used to the only sounds being beeps and whirring, so her being surprised every fifteen minutes was expectable.

But it wasn't fifteen minutes this time.

Sonny became anxious instantly. "Is everything alright?"

It had seemed like nothing had changed with Chad, but maybe she'd missed something. Something new. Something wrong.

The doctor chuckled. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to check in."

Sonny sighed. Then it dawned on her that the nurse looked familiar.

"Do I know you?" She asked as he checked Chad's stats and temperature.

He nodded. "I was talking to, um… Portlyn… yesterday…"

"Oh." Sonny decided to ignore him.

But he had other plans. "Listen, Sonny, I just want to reassure you. The likelihood of anything going wrong and her not making a full recovery are really slim. She will probably be absolutely fine."

Sonny snapped. "I can't believe this!"

He looked confused.

She jumped up and started towards him. "You only 'checked in' to see if Portlyn was here, didn't you?"

He shook his head, but looked a bit perturbed.

"You wanna know how I could tell?" She had backed him to the doorway. "Chad is a he!"

Before he could argue, she slammed the door in his face and rushed back to her seat, leaning once again on Chad's good arm, tears of anger brimming in the corners of her eyes.

She pushed her forehead into the crease of his arm, letting the tears flow for once.

"Sonny?"

She jerked her head upright so fast she may have given herself whiplash.

Chad's gorgeous blue eyes.

"What…?" He started moving his head.

Sonny jumped up and pressed the call button.

Chad groaned and reached up to touch his head, but Sonny stopped him. "Don't move. Wait for the doctors."

She could hear there shoes rushing down the hall. Finally she could be happy.

Chad coughed and shook his head, a moan building up in his throat. His heart rate began to race.

"Calm down, Chad…"

He started wheezing.

"Chad!"

The heart rate monitor beeped like crazy before he flat-lined, producing a long, endless beep.

Sonny screamed as the doctors and nurses ran full-pelt into the room, pulling and pushing her out of the way.

"CHAD!"

_Ooh, cliffy. I don't do ones this big too often, so don't yell at me. What do you think will happen? Will the daring hero of our story survive?... Need i ask?_

_See ya all, cause this is my last chap in two weeks. I'm going on holiday... NOT REALLY!! Had ya going, though, didn't i. Please review, they make me smile, feel happy, and sometimes not even kill my main characters... hint hint..._


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey, everyone. Sorry it took so long, and thanks to you all for staying faithful and reviewing, etc. I'm so chuffed at how much people like this story that I'm giving you all a large chunk of virtual fudge that I got at the Royal Show today. _

_Here you go._

_Did you get it?_

_This is a shorter chapter than the others, but I didn't have time for any more. _

_It's my prom tomorrow, and I have had a few problems (including sunburn, the wrong-shaped bra, gorgeous-very-very-high heels versus nice-not-so-high heels, what to do with my hair, etc.). _

_Anyway, I'll let you get back to the story. 'Twas a real nail biter, wasn't it?_

* * *

Abi ran her fingers over the keyboard for the twenty-eighth time in nearly three hours. Of course, that was an estimate. She hadn't been counting.

So far, she had:

_Hollywood Community Hospital, emphasis on the word community, seems to be the last place you'd find self-proclaimed bad-boy and young Mackenzie Falls star Chad Dylan Cooper, but…_

That was it.

Never before had Abi had writer's block, so it had taken her the first two hours to realise she had it, and now she couldn't get over the ides of her having it, let alone get over the block itself.

And so, she ran her hand over the keys for a twenty-ninth time, unsure if she would ever get to write this article.

Abi and Ali always knew they would work together, and they always knew Ali would be in charge. She was the dominant twin, and Abi had accepted her place years ago. However, they hadn't been sure of what industry they would take on until junior year at high school introduced them to journalism.

Abi joined the paper before Ali, oddly enough, so when Ali was chosen for editor a week after she joined (which was several months after Abi had joined) everyone had been surprised. Everyone, that is, except Abi and Ali.

The girls had stuck together through college, started together at a local newspaper and finally moved to the Los Angeles Independent, where Ali's editorial skills had quickly been discovered and all fell into their natural places.

Abi shoved her head into her hands.

Being the editor's sister should have given her an edge, but being the head-honcho for all these years had finally gone to Ali's head, and sisterly love was thrown out the window.

So, the scowl etched across Ali's face as she entered Abi's office was no surprise. Sometimes, when Abi scowled into her mirror at home, she momentarily thought she was Ali.

"Where's my article?" She slammed the door behind her. "You promised it to me by nine this morning, and I come into work this morning to find – guess what? – no story!"

Abi shoved away from her desk and turned her chair to face Ali as she sat down in the armchair used normally for interviewees.

"There was a hitch that meant I couldn't get in long enough to get any decent information last night, so I went back this morning…" Abi decided it was best not to say anything about writer's block.

Ali shook her head, anger creeping into the edges of her lips. "Then you should have told me that! I expect it by three this afternoon or no more job."

She stood up sharply, neatened her dress and strutted out – annoyingly not falling over in her five inch heels.

As she exited, she turned around in the doorway, adding nonchalantly, "By the way, dad called to invite us to Thanksgiving dinner this year. I told him I couldn't because of the paper, but you could take some time off if you wanted?"

Abi nodded her head numbly.

Reverting back to her employer voice, she frowned. "That is, if you still have a job then."

Abi ran her hands over the keyboard on her brand new laptop, glancing at the keys to her new convertible and tapping her Jimmy Choo's on the carpeted floor.

No, she needed her job. She continued the sentence she had began earlier.

…_but here he lies, comatose. The Los Angeles Independent had an exclusive interview at said hospital, and now all is revealed._

* * *

Sonny stared at the floor, her mind still weighed down by the shock that had flooded it when Chad Dylan Cooper had died.

Marshall, having rushed in as soon as the heard, placed his arm on Sonny's shoulder in an attempt to encourage her to get up.

"The doctors say we can go back in, now."

She stood slowly, her feet moving automatically as Marshall placed a hand at the base of her spine and pushed her towards room 343 from the seating area that was just outside.

Tawni gave Marshall a worried look as she approached her lifeless friend, and he shook his head back to stop her from saying anything for the time being.

Sonny, despite running her body mainly on autopilot, was alive with fright and disbelief in her mind. Adrenaline, which wasn't being used in either fight or flight, sped up her heart and caused her joints to quiver, especially her knees.

They reached the room and Sonny paused outside. Could she really see him and not collapse?

Marshall comforted her, "It's okay, Sonny."

She looked at him, and he knew what little comfort he could have provided her with had successfully been passed on. Her innocent, suddenly childlike eyes gazed up at him and he felt protective. He had to get her through this.

They went in.

Chad lay there, looking pale.

"Chad." Sonny let this one word out in a sob.

The whole room was silent. Silent, that is, apart from the sound of Chad's many machines working to keep him alive.

* * *

"_CHAD!"_

_A nurse pulled Sonny to the back of the room. Sonny didn't pay any attention to her when she said, "Please, let them help him." or "Just stay calm."_

_It was all she could do to not climb over the nurse's shoulder and be by Chad's side. That would do no good._

_The many people now surrounding Chad were busy performing CPR, shoving tubes down his throat, readying the paddles…_

_A doctor snatched at the paddles and thrust them onto his chest, shouting "Clear!"_

_A loud thump silenced the room of squeaking shoes and muttered stats, shooting static electricity through Chad's heart and making his whole body jolt and his back arch momentarily. Nothing happened. Meaning, nothing changed, and so the heart monitor continued its droning._

_They many people jumped into action again, with CPR, tubes and readying the paddles once more. The doctor repeated the process of placing them on Chad's chest with extra zealous and shouted "Clear!" again._

_The same process occurred; shoes no longer squeaked, stats were no longer muttered, a loud thump, static electricity…_

_The hear monitor let out a beep, then a pause. It seemed as though the entire world held its breath. Another beep ensued._

* * *

Sonny clamped a hand over her mouth and cried out into it. The sound was muffled, but it still had the same affect.

Marshall looked down at his shoes; Tawni bit her lip and a tear dribbled down her cheek. The nurses came over to Sonny.

Lucy, having taken a particular interest in this case, was constantly around the group. They'd grown quite attached.

"Sonny." Her kind voice, as before, broke Sonny's trance.

She focused her eyes, blinked several times, and then sighed nervously.

She nodded at the best nurse she thought she could ever meet. "Be brave."

Lucy smiled and then repeated, "Be brave."

* * *

_i think I used an excessive amount of those liney things..._

_Well, sorry it took so long. Also… guess what? Sweet Pea's given birth. Again. Six, this time, by the looks of it, and they're all pink and squirmy, so I've been selling the idea of hamsters to as many friends as possible to get rid of the last lot. So far, a grand total of one has been rid of._

_Anyone want to virtually adopt a hamster? You get to name it and everything. First come first virtually-served. (No worries; no actual adopting required)._


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry this took so long, but I haven't been 100% recently, after having had an intense Disney sleepover and ODing on ice cream. Not only that, but we attempted an all-nighter, and gave up after we got to 5am. Add this to the all-nighter I pulled last week after prom playing guitar hero, and you'll realise my body-clock is totally out of sync. Well, that's my excuse. Enjoy._

"It's um…" Abi's assistant, Jane Humphrey, perused her latest article. "… different."

"Different?" Abi asked, confused, "Different how?"

"Well…" Jane seemed reluctant to say any more, so Abi nodded encouragement, desperate for her insight.

As far as Abi could remember, Jane – not only an assistant, but a best friend from kindergarten – had always known when one of her pieces wouldn't work. Never had she submitted something without her seal of approval, so she needed it fast.

"It's just not what I'd expect from you." Jane shook her head. "You're always so brutal – no offence –"

Abi shrugged. She knew she was harsh most of the time. It's what made her writing unique.

"And this is…" Jane let out another awkward pause. "…not."

Abi's shoulders slumped and her head seemed to detach itself from her body it fell into her hands so quickly.

"I knew it!" Already distraught, she wailed out a sob. "I've lost it."

"No." Jane said plainly, keeping her cool in the uncomfortable atmosphere. "You've just gotten attached."

Abi, who had been snivelling for effect, lifted her head up in a flash. "Attached?"

Jane smiled. "You understand the concept, right? You like Sonny, or Chad. Somebody has made you see people and feelings instead of a story."

Abi's entire face fell, her eyelids drooping over tired eyes, the corners of her mouth downturned, and the effect made her features fall into distress.

"It's still good," Jane continued, uplifting Abi's mood slightly, "but I'm not sure if it's what Ali's looking for. She chose you for the celebrity section so you could abuse them properly. The public love attacking famous people."

Abi nodded.

How could she have gotten to know Sonny or Chad well enough to like them? Surely it was impossible that…

A thought suddenly stuck her. Years ago, when Abi and Ali were twelve, their mother was in an accident. She'd just taken them to a drama recital and was driving home, when a bus smashed into the side of their truck. She went into a coma for three days, before a stroke killed her.

Of course. Ever since that had happened, Abi had blocked it out, sometimes forgetting her mother had died, but thinking instead she was away or out shopping. It stopped the hurting that way.

So, of course, she related to Sonny and Chad, and had inadvertently sided with them in the war between celebrities and the press. Damn.

Coming out of her revelation, Abi found herself being hugged by Jane.

"I wondered how long it would take you to realise," she sighed.

Abi then noticed that tears were wetting her cheeks.

At that moment Ali walked in, carrying a briefcase and wearing a smug expression that made Abi gulp silently.

Jane released her best friend, nervously bowed to Ali, realised that she'd just bowed, and rushed out of the room scolding herself. Abi watched her enviously. _She _got to leave.

"Let's have it, then." Abi had passed it over before Ali even had a chance to finish her sentence.

Ali placed the ominous briefcase on the floor and ran her eyes over the two pages that Abi had miraculously managed to produce. Every now and again she'd nod, or shake her head, or grunt disapprovingly (or at least it seemed to be disapproving to Abi). At long last she threw the paper to table.

"Too nice." She'd never had a problem putting it to people straight.

Abi gaped despairingly, and Ali shrugged.

"I guess you can keep your job if you nasty it up. You did do what I asked, after all." She smiled, which looked unusual and uncomfortable on her face. "I do have a heart, sis."

Apparently the doubt on Abi's face was evident, because Ali huffed and stormed out the room.

How was Abi going to nasty it up when she liked the people she was supposed to be writing nastily about?

* * *

"How long was he dead for?" Sonny asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

She'd been there, but it had all blurred together. It had taken her all day to build up the courage not only to ask, but to hear the answer.

"Only one and a half minutes." Lucy was kind enough to stay with Sonny, who everyone decided couldn't be left alone without having a nervous breakdown.

"What…" Sonny was struggling to structure sentences without sounding worried, which actually made her seem more worried than she was. "What happened to, you know, make him…"

"Crash?" Lucy finished, her medical knowledge helping her. "His mind went into overload, with realising what had happened and all, and his brain was in such a fragile state after the accident and surgery that he couldn't take it."

Sonny nodded. She'd been worried she'd caused it again.

Suddenly Sonny heard Chad's voice and her heart leapt for joy. He was awake again.

Her head jerked round to the bed, but he was quiet, unmoving, as he had been before. Then she realised the sound was coming from the television in the corner of the room, and she noticed that Portlyn had come back.

Mackenzie, Chad's character on Mackenzie Falls, was speaking to Portlyn about an upcoming prom and stuttering as he tried to ask her to go with him. Sonny scowled at the television and Portlyn alternatively. Portlyn laughed aloud at the show, oblivious to the daggers coming from Sonny's eyes, and put her feet up on the bed.

"Please, miss, can you not do that?" Lucy stepped up, guessing by the now crazed look in Sonny's eyes that she was the lesser of two evils.

Portlyn turned, grunted something about "the help" and "rudeness", and removed her feet from the bed.

Sonny had had enough from the egotistical young actress.

"That's it!" She started at Portlyn, who had already turned her attentions back to the tv, "How can you care so little about him? Have you no feelings about anyone but yourself?"

Portlyn shrugged. "I care about him. I want him to get better."

Sonny's eyes narrowed. "And why's that?"

She shrugged again. "We can't start filming again until he's well enough to…"

She hadn't yet finished her statement when Lucy had her arms tightly around Sonny's waist, holding her back mid-lunge. Portlyn's jaw dropped and she stumbled away from the struggling girl. She backed to the opposite wall, apparently hoping it would fall out behind her and she would be able to find an escape.

"If I EVER see you in here again I will through you out of that window! Do you understand me?" Sonny had calmed her frantic flailing of limbs enough to point an angry finger at Portlyn and smother her face with a very serious look.

The terrified star stumbled over a couple of chairs in her rush to exit the room.

Lucy looked apprehensively over at Sonny. "That threat was a tad excessive, don't you think?"

Sonny shrugged. "I know, but I had to do it. Portlyn doesn't respond to empty threats, so I had to give her some kind of indication that I was being serious."

Lucy nodded. "Okay, I guess."

Sonny sat back down, oddly calm in comparison to her previous seemingly-crazed frame of mind. Lucy simply accepted Sonny's approach to the incident; arguments were unnecessarily stressful and everyone needed to feel in control of something when a situation like this breaks its snarling way into their life. Twelve years dealing with friends and family of emergency room victims had taught her that, if nothing else.

They were silent for a while, letting the noise coming from the television set flood the room, comforting them with Chad's voice. Sonny smiled at the cheese that was being emitted from Mackenzie Falls and let that very cheese fill her body. She allowed herself to chuckle at the cheesy jokes, and feel weak at the knees with the cheesy romance… then the programme ended, and it felt too soon, even though she hadn't honestly paying attention. She couldn't really remember what the plot was.

Lucy shut the tv off and the room plunged once more into the silence highlighted only by mechanical whirs from Chad's life support.

Sonny looked nervously at Lucy.

"You said before," she bit her lip inadvertently, "that his chances were best if he woke up in 48 hours… what are they like now?"

Lucy avoided Sonny's eyes. "Well, now that he's crashed and he's still in a coma he's been put in the 'unstable' category. But, he still has a chance of a full recovery if he doesn't code again. The fact is…"

Sonny was shaking her head as Lucy continued to talk. How could she let this happen? What could she do to help him?

Lucy grunted and went silent mid-sentence. Sonny caught her eye, and there was confusion. She furrowed her eyebrows, reflection similar confusion.

Lucy opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again to speak. "Why did you grunt?"

Sonny frowned further. "I didn't. I thought you…"

Almost simultaneously they turned to face Chad, whose eyelids twitched as he apparently tried to open them. His bright, ocean blue eyes, peaked out from beneath the droopy lids and he grunted again.

"Chad, oh Chad, finally." Sonny leant over him to rub his arms comfortingly.

Chad spoke very clearly. "Sonny, thank god!"

Sonny smiled. Tears filled her eyes as she stopped him from shuffling around and pulling at the many tubes shoved into his veins, and she had to keep wiping them away. She couldn't let stupid moisture block her view of his newly beaming face. He was recovering control over his body very quickly…

"It's okay, Sonny, you're in a hospital." Chad nodded, so certain of his words.

Sonny laughed. "I know, Chad. You've been in a coma for over two days!"

Chad's eyebrows pulled together and he chuckled anxiously.

Then the worst happened. His eyes started to roll away from Sonny's view, towards the back of his head, and his muscles tensed. He shuddered for a few moments, enough time for Lucy to race around the bed and press for assistance, as well as scream down the hall for "Help, in here!"

Chad's mouth drooped open for a split second, and then all movement stopped and he slumped to a complete stop, his heart suddenly no longer beating. Again.

"No, no, no…." Sonny backed away in preparation for the doctors and nurses, who were already rushing into the room, to do their job.

She wasn't sure how many times she repeated her denial, but she didn't care. How could this be happening again?

They pulled out the paddles. Lucy was the only voice Sonny recognised, saying things like, "Charging, 160."

They attempted resuscitation for an hour, before one of the doctors suggested they stop. Sonny gasped and ran forward, begging.

"Please, no, keep going, don't give up." She had one hand over her mouth and another on the doctor's chest.

The doctor looked meaningfully around. All of the nurses kept his stare for a few seconds, before glancing down to avoid seeing Sonny's face.

Sonny had no coherent thought apart from, 'This can't be happening."

The doctor looked at his watched and mumbled just loud enough fro everyone to hear. "Time of death, 19:03."

Sonny took in three very deep, loud breaths that sounded a lot like successive gasps. She couldn't believe this could happen. She couldn't believe it.

She felt numb, as if she were the one that was dead.

As the nurses and doctors went about avoiding Sonny as they quietly left the room or tidying around Chad… Chad's body, she stared at the place the Chad Dylan Cooper used to be. Suddenly, it was all too much.

Sonny felt her knees give in and her head was thumping inside her skull. She continued to the floor and everything went black.

Sonny shuddered awake in a cold sweat. The room around her was bright white and smelt unbelievably sterile.

Of course. She was still in the hospital.

She slowly turned her head to see if she was alone. There was a figure heaped up on the edge of her bed that reeked and had their blond hair all greasy, as if they hadn't left to have a shower in days. Sonny attempted a cough, but found her throat oddly dry, and it came out like an empty gasp.

The person's head shot up and Sonny glimpsed ocean blue eyes.

She snapped her eyes closed again. She must be hallucinating.

Once again, she peeled her eyelids over her tired eyes and saw exactly what she'd thought she'd saw.

Chad. Dylan. Cooper.

Sonny almost cried. Even filthy and imaginary he was beautiful.

At a loss for something to say, she blurted out, "You have hair."

His mouth dropped open and he nodded absentmindedly.

He spoke quietly. "You're finally awake."

_What's going on??? I'll accept guesses, now that I've given you a few more clues to piece together. Think back: "_

"I know how you feel, Sonny." The nurse caught Sonny's attention again, her warm smile making it easier not to drown in the haze of uncertainty. "When you came in, I could see you wanted to cry, but you didn't. You saw that he needed you to be strong for him, and you were strong. Now he needs you to stay strong, and keep hope. Don't loose faith in him, and **she'll** pull through. Without your hope, he'll have nothing to guide him home."

_And of course the incident with Portlyn's doctor, Paul... Please remember, I am super-doesn't-ever-make-typos-minus-the-"wiht"-one" girl. Thanks to TrinityFlower of Memories for coining that phrase. Well, please review. I love reviews, and I love anyone who gives me reviews. If I get to over 110 reviews by the next chapter, I'll show you the lyrics to the chorus to a song I wrote about Sonny and Chad (in addition to all of the romances I like on tv. You'll undersand when, and if, I show you). Ly all, thanks for reading._


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey, all. Soz this took SO long, but i was kinda not in a writing mood 'cause all my friends are going onto a trip to Canada which i was supposed to be going on, but the price was (and i quote) "getting too much for us to justify, when we can get a holiday for all of us for the same price or less." LARGE sigh. I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't feel it wafting through your speakers. No worries, though, i just brushed my teeth. ;) Now, all is revealed:_

Sonny clamped her eyes shut. This could not be happening. This could _not_ be happening. It hurt too much for her to breath. Her chest hurt, her eyes hurt and her… leg? Why did her leg hurt?

Chad held her arm gently, his soothing voice overpowered her senses and she completely forgot about any part of her body that had previously been aching. "Wait, Sonny, wait. Take it easy."

She hadn't noticed, but she was struggling around a little.

"Sonny, open your eyes, come on…" He sounded really anxious.

"Wuumigoo…" Her throat dry and her voice rough, the words all blurred together and sounded an awful lot like a croak.

She coughed and slowly peeled back her eyelids and, sure enough, there was the imaginary Chad.

Well, she thought with a sigh, I might as well accept it. I've gone crazy.

"Sonny." His voice was relieved.

She stared at him for a few moments, taking in the living, breathing, albeit imaginary, Chad Dylan Cooper.

"What… how…?" She wanted to ask what was going on, but felt it would be ridiculous to ask someone who didn't really exist.

Chad nodded, shuffling to the edge of his seat to get closer to her bed.

"I guess you don't remember." He swallowed. "You had an accident near your dressing room. Josh-" he recoiled at the mention of his name "-was riding the mail cart and he ran into you. You…"

Sonny interrupted him. "No, no, no. That happened to you."

Chad gaped plainly at Sonny, confusion working its way across his face from the edges in.

Sonny tried again. "You… you got run down, and broke a leg and had to have brain surgery and… you went into a coma. You…" At this point, Sonny felt like she was choking on a lump in her throat. "You… died. Then, I collapsed and woke up here."

Why was she explaining herself to a hallucination?

"And now," Chad was still gaping at her as she spoke, seemingly to herself (she figured if it looked like she was talking to herself the nurses might not commit her), "I'm imagining you alive to get through the pain."

Sonny sighed again as Chad pulled an odd expression – sort of like he found something funny in the weirdest of times.

"Sonny…" He shook his head and chuckled humourlessly. "Do you honestly think a mail cart could do that much damage?"

Sonny stared at him, not understanding what he was saying.

He continued with an answer to his own question. "No. A mail cart could, however, run into someone and push them down three flights of stairs, causing a chest wound, internal bleeding and a severely broken leg."

As he said this, Chad pointed to Sonny's leg, and she absentmindedly followed his finger to find her leg in a cast. Her eyes took a few moments to focus on the room around her as she let this impossible information take hold.

They were the only ones in the room, but Sonny could see a pile of coats and bags that told her that others were there, waiting somewhere in the hospital. A row of seats in the wall facing her, all different colours and shapes, suggested there weren't enough chairs in the room originally, so spares had been brought in. Dim light filtered through the shades that covered a large window to her right, and the door was propped open by a small bin in the far left corner of the room. A table underneath the window was covered in flowers and cards, with an accompanying balloon, all of which said "Get well soon" or something equivalent. And, even as she finished evaluating the room she was in, her eyes were drawn back to the impossibly broken leg in a sling hung from the ceiling.

Sonny couldn't… wouldn't accept Chad's words. "No, the whole thing was my fault. I told Josh to grow his hair. I suggested he rode his mail cart when he was bored."

Chad winced. "Did you really, Sonny? When did you do that?"

Sonny thought back, determined to prove to the figment that she was right, but realised she couldn't remember ever actually telling Josh to do those things, or in fact ever thinking such things would be a good idea…

Chad watched her face, choosing the opportune moment of realisation to interrupt her thoughts, "You can't remember because it was me that told Josh to grow his hair and ride the cart, and I made you walk down the stairs by not holding the elevator. It was my…"

He broke off with an uncharacteristic moan and his head dropped back onto the edge of her bed. Sonny reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He took the hand between his own and looked up at her, a smile creeping onto his lips.

"You're the one in the hospital bed, and you're still the one comforting me." He kept her hand in one of his own and ran the other over his face. "You're too nice for your own good, Munroe."

Sonny smiled. The guilt that she had been experiencing, or at least that she thought she had been experiencing, was gone. She hadn't caused the injury, or death, for that matter, of anyone. But… Chad had. Would he not be feeling the guilt that she had felt? Did the look on his face not suggest he had been worried about her?

"It's okay, Chad." She smiled as he looked at her with uncertainty. "I don't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself."

Chad snorted pathetically. "Chad Dylan Cooper never feels guilty, or cares," he leered, dropping her hand, but the tone in his voice was a mere mockery of his previous arrogance.

He looked away, the pretence of conceit falling from his face as he broke eye contact, and he resolved to turn back with an apologetic look.

"I…" He picked up her hand again, and she accepted this with a gently, tired smile.

As her thoughts filled with numerous, overwhelming emotions, the biggest of which was the joy of having Chad with her, alive, she closed her eyes and lay back on the pillow. Minutes passed as they remained in this peaceful pose.

It wasn't until someone loud entered the room that Sonny realised she'd fallen asleep. Hadn't she already slept enough?

Tawni's voice echoed in her ears in comparison to the quiet – bar the beeps and huffing of the machines around her.

"Cooper, I have something to show you, and, boy, are you not gonna like it…"

Chad threw his finger up to his lips to silence her, and whispered, "She's sleeping."

Tawni laughed boldly. "No shit, Sherlock."

Even as Chad shook his head to try and explain, Sonny stirred to reveal to her best friend what he had meant.

She lifted and took in a rough breath. "What won't he like?"

Tawni shrieked. "Oh, my god, you're awake… and you're not crashing! This is amazing!" She turned to Chad, who was cringing away from the noise. "And she's making sense! I was so scared, and I cared, which, well, you know… They say your brain was going crazy!" Tawni was speaking at a hundred miles an hour. "As if you were dreaming the whole time…"

"Tawni!" Chad interrupted. "Take it easy, she'd just woken up!"

Sonny smiled, though, and bit her dry lips. "Well, I guess I kinda _was_ dreaming."

Tawni squealed again, but this time stopped herself when she caught the 'I-will-rip-off-your-head-if-you-carry-on' look coming from Chad.

"I got it all mixed up, where I was in Chad's position, and he was in the hospital bed," Sonny explained.

Tawni nodded, heading Chad's silent warning and not making a sound.

Sonny's eyebrows furrowed as she remembered what Tawni had said when she first came in. "What is it that Chad wouldn't like?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sonny saw Chad smile when she mentioned his name.

Tawni looked anxiously at Chad, who seemed too distracted by Sonny's saying his name to notice her speaking so she decided it was safe to tell her from that point of view. However, what she'd come to tell Chad surely wouldn't please Sonny in the slightest, so perhaps it would be best to show Chad first and let him be the judge.

"Chad?"

Chad glanced up at his name, looking disappointed at whose mouth it had come from.

Tawni continued. "I think you need to see this."

She passed him a newspaper and Sonny watched curiously as he straightened it out and perused the front page. He looked at Tawni with confusion.

She swallowed. "Page 3."

He turned the pages noisily. His face started off blank when he reached said page, but slowly, as he read more of the article, a mixture of agony and understanding filled his eyes. Sonny coughed and he looked up.

"Can I see?" She put on a weak voice to try and convince him, but he shook his head.

"It's nothing important. It doesn't matter." He seemed to be talking just as much to himself as her as he threw the paper on the table at the end of her bed.

Sonny frowned purposefully, but when he didn't take any notice of that she pouted and huffed. "Fine. I'll get it, then."

She groaned as she tried to pull herself up, and Chad panicked, forcing her back down.

"Okay, okay." He reached for the paper. "But don't take it to heart."

Sonny ripped it open, but her triumphant smile was wiped straight off her face by the headline:

_Chad Dylan Cooper Puts Sonny Munroe in Hospital_

She let out an annoyed yell. "That's not true!"

She read on:

_They say that it's always the good girls that fall unexpectedly for the bad boys, and it's safe to say that Hollywood is no different. After a tragic accident at the studio where both Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper work on their shows ('So Random!' and 'Mackenzie Falls'), Sonny Munroe was left with a bleeding in her brain, along with a badly broken leg and a deep cut to her chest._

_Sonny was heading to her car at the end of the day, and when she ran to catch an elevator with Chad Dylan Cooper, the stars had an argument and Chad left Sonny waiting. Angry and upset, Sonny was forced to take the stairs, when a friend of both the actors and studio mail boy, Josh Gylenhall, crashed his cart into her, sending her flying down three flights of stairs._

_Not only was Cooper the cause of her being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, but an exclusive interview with said perpetrator told us he was the cause of Gylenhall's misadventure. By suggesting the riding of a cart and the growth of his hair, which blocked his view, Chad Dylan Cooper singlehandedly put Sonny Munroe in a critical condition…_

Sonny stopped there and quite literally growled at the paper, and – in an astonishing bout of strength – crunched it up and threw it into the bin that still held open the door.

Quietly, Tawni was impressed. "Good shot," she muttered.

Sonny thought through the article, remembering parts that were unnecessarily mean, and something dawned on her.

"Where's my mom?" She glanced around the room as if it was just that she hadn't seen her.

Chad's mouth literally fell open. "Don't you want to talk about this? Yell at me?" His voice dropped a decibel. "_Blame_ me?"

Sonny shrugged. Though the article had thoroughly irritated her, she was only angry at the writer, not Chad.

"It's not true, and if it is, it doesn't matter."

Somehow, Chad's jaw dropped further.

Sonny smiled, an air of comfort ensuing. "It was an accident. Nothing you could have done would have prevented it, so there's no point dwelling on it." She stretched her smile further across her face to prove that. "Back to my question… where's my mom?"

Chad was smiling back at her; the first smile that actually had any substance to it. They stared at each other, eyes locked in silent conversation as Sonny let Chad know no blame lay on him, and Chad let Sonny know he'd be there for her.

Tawni, whom both Sonny and Chad had forgotten entirely, retched loudly. "Get a room."

Sonny laughed. "This kinda already is my room."

When she said this, she broke eye contact, and it brought both of them down to earth, though it was the last place either of them wanted to be.

Chad finally remembered that Sonny had asked him a question – twice – and answered it belatedly. "Your mom left to pick up your dad from the airport about an hour and a half ago… 'Bout twenty minutes before you woke up…"

He trailed off as he caught Sonny's vibe. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes and she brought a hand slowly, and weakly, to her mouth. Chad instantly shuffled closer to her, if that was possible.

"Are you okay?" His hands hovered over the call button anxiously. "What's wrong?"

Sonny shook her head and he reluctantly pulled his hand away from the button, but seemed to make sure he could still reach it nonetheless.

Finally, after choking back a few more tears, she spoke. "I can't believe my dad is coming…"

Chad nodded understandingly. "You don't want him here. I'll let your mom know when-"

Sonny cut him off, "No, no! I'm thrilled he's coming. It's just…" She coughed to cover up another tear. "I haven't seen him since my mom and he split up. My mom won full custody, and with the new show… I never really got round to arranging to meet up with him. Now…"

She let the tears flow, and Chad leaned in to give her a hug. This took Sonny by surprise, but in good way, she pushed her head into his muscular shoulder and breathed in his musky, and slightly malodorous, scent and gave a sly cough. Of course, Chad noticed this.

"I'm sorry…" He stepped away, looking down.

Sonny sighed. "Is it gonna be like this always?"

Chad looked back up, once again confused by the girl he'd sat by for four days straight, apart from when he needed the toilet and when she was having a bed bath, and watched when she'd had fits and when her heart had stopped and even when she was doing absolutely nothing for hours on end.

Sonny continued, unperturbed by his blank expression. "Before this, that would have turned into some playful banter about you stinking because you'd sat by me through all this, and I would have pretended to be ungrateful and you would have pretended not to care…" She sighed loudly.

"But I do care. And after all this, I can't pretend I don't anymore. This kinda thing changes a person." He kept eye contact with her.

It was perhaps the deepest thing she had ever heard someone say, and coming from Chad that was especially surprising.

Sonny smiled sweetly. "I care, too."

"Well…" Tawni, who they had both forgotten again, coughed awkwardly. "I think I'm gonna go get a coffee."

Sonny gave her a fleeting look. "But you don't drink coffee."

Tawni backed slowly out of the room. "All the same…"

Chad laughed once she had gone. "You know, I think she's a keeper."

Sonny nodded. "She doesn't like to admit it, but she likes me."

Chad snorted. "Are you kidding? All she talked about when I wouldn't leave your side was how she was you best friend and she should be the one…" He stopped when he saw Sonny's eyes tear again. "What?"

"You wouldn't leave my side?" She grinned, which – Chad noted – was very attractive with accompanying tears.

Chad shook his head.

Sonny sighed and wiped away the tears. "What else happened?"

"Well," he started, looking up as he remembered. "You've woken up a few times, actually, and each time you said things like 'don't move' or 'everything's okay'. I guess you thought I was waking up?" Sonny nodded. "And after that… well, you crashed just moments after speaking."

"Oh, exciting!" Sonny bounced in her bed, but quickly stopped when she saw the sheer panic in Chad's eyes.

Chad laughed, his face almost instantly returning to normal. "Not really…"

And they talked for another hour of oddly peaceful bliss, forgetting that they were in a hospital and that in the public's eye they were sworn enemies and that they were supposed to argue in every conversation they had… At least Tawni had the sense not to try and enter the conversation.

However, peace doesn't last forever.

* * *

_Didn't want to give you too much of a sense of security. The story ain't finished yet, even with this major twist! Now, honestly, how many of you saw this coming? Eh? Eh? And i mean before the end of the last chap? These are the lyrics i promised. It's just the chorus, and it's a working progress:_

_**This is a cli-iche,**_

_**Everyone thought it'd end this wa-ay,**_

_**So why did it take so long?**_

_**Even now as i'm ri-ighting this wrong.**_

_On the last line, i keep jumping between that, and "Even now as I'm wri-iting this song." It all depends on when it's sung. I was thinking Chad writing it while Sonny is in a coma (he won't sing it in the story or anything, that was just my inspiration)._

_Oh, good news, everyone. My dog's offically pregnant! YAY! Unlike the hamster pregnancies, this one was both wanted and planned. The vet said he saw 5-7 in the scan, but its not very accurate, so it oculd be more or less... and i just remebered a dream where she gave birth to 24... i have weird dreams. Like... oh, i'll tell you next time. Look at me going on. REVIEW!_


	8. Chapter 8

_It's a bit of a short chap this time, but i don't want to give too much away in one go. Let's just say it isn't over yet._

After a few days in a hospital, people tend to learn the routines and customs fairly promptly. Tawni Hart, aided by years of learning her lines and quickly getting in sync with actors around her, learnt it in two, and this was a fact she was very proud of.

Early morning it was usually very quiet, so it was safe to manoeuvre the corridors unhindered, normally to find coffee to stay awake at such an obscene hour. Though there were always nurses and doctors hurrying around, appearing busy, and anxious relatives pacing in the corridor, and celebratory fathers tearing through the hospital in search of a phone that works (Tawni had noted that no matter what time it was, there were always babies being born), the general hubbub of activity didn't start until around nine, when they brought out the breakfast. Depending on what part of the hospital you were in, this time of the day finished at ten-thirty to eleven o'clock. Up to this time, the hospital appeared, on the whole, a peaceful place, despite its being full of sick people.

However, by the time it turned twelve noon, braving the halls became exactly that: a feat of bravery. Nurses hared around as though lives depended on it (which they probably did), friends and relatives had loud arguments with the doctors about all sorts of things that they seemed eager to be preoccupied by, and actual babies were now accompanying the joyous parents. Tawni, for fear of being either trampled or asked to do something gross, avoided leaving the room during this period.

It just so happened, that it was now upon her and she was stuck outside while Sonny got all googly-eyed with her three-named lover-boy and chatted it up with her parents. In a mere ten minutes she would be so swamped with sweaty bodies and the squeaking of shoes that she wouldn't be able to make it back to the room, and a situation like this made her feel helpless, and she didn't like feeling helpless.

She let out another frustrated sigh, adding to the numerous sighs that had already escaped her lips. An uncomfortable-looking, but very handsome, Hispanic boy sitting two seats away from her shuffled awkwardly and turned his head to face down the corridor. She checked him out for a moment, but was too annoyed to keep her attention on him.

When she saw Sonny's room's door open down the hall Tawni shot up, ready to make a run for it if it was necessary, then realising that she was wearing heels and running would be difficult. Sonny's parents filed out, Connie and… Well, Tawni didn't really know her dad's name, and she didn't really care. All she cared about was the fact that now she could go back in the room.

In a stroke of luck, there was an odd lull in the crowds of people hording down the corridors, and Tawni decided it was now or never as she watched Sonny's parents head off down the corridor.

Rather than running, as she had originally planned, Tawni chose to hasten, and – having hurdled over the legs of the boy next to her, which were resting on the seat opposite him – reached the room in less than twenty seconds, just in time to avoid a couple of gawky teenagers veering round the corner on a stolen gurney.

It now seemed strangely peaceful as she entered the coveted room, and her dramatic entrance brought upon the attention of Chad and Sonny's confused looks.

"What are you doing?" Chad eyed her sceptically.

She was balanced next to the table that held all of Sonny's notes and flowers with her hands stuck out behind her in an attempt to keep her balance and not crash into all of the precariously balanced gifts, knocking them all over the floor. When she realised both how ridiculous she looked and that she wasn't going to collide with the table, she dropped her arms down and brushed off her bright-pink waist-high skirt.

"Um, just coming to visit," and for the sake of Tawni's pride they all pretended that had been what Chad was asking about.

"Where've you been, Tawni?" Sonny was shuffling to get a better view of her, so Tawni hurried forward before Chad could realise she was the cause of all the fidgeting.

She sat on the chair on the other side of Sonny to Chad. "I've been avoiding the mushy stuff."

Sonny nodded with an understanding smile, looking a little dazed and tired.

Tawni continued. "So, how are you feeling?"

Sonny's eyebrows shot up, and she looked at Chad, who shrugged with a little nod as if to answer an unspoken question.

"Oh, could you please stop with the endless gooey, lovey-dovey nonsense. It's vomit inducing!" She huffed back into her seat.

Chad laughed lightly. "A bit snappy, aren't we?"

With these words, Sonny was sent careering back into the past, apparently before the accident…

* * *

_She was storming down the corridor outside her changing room towards the elevators, looking intently at the floor. She was upset and angry, but she wasn't sure about what._

_Because her attention was focused on the floor, she didn't notice a certain heartthrob walking towards her until she crashed into him, sending the pile of scripts and fan mail flying into the air as the two toppled onto the floor, Sonny on top of Chad._

_Chad let out a groan. "A bit less of the cheese, next time, Wisconsin."_

_Sonny rolled off of him, ignoring his snipe._

"_Seriously," Chad moaned, absentmindedly helping Sonny pick up her papers, "What are you pushing, one-fifty?"_

_Sonny's teeth snapped together. "Almost a third of that, actually, Chad."_

_Chad withdrew from her bitter edge. "My, aren't we snappy."_

_Sonny's eyes narrowed. "I'm. Not. In. The. Mood."_

_Chad shook his head, "No, don't you see what I did, there? You know, snappy; because of your teeth snapping, and the snappy comment. Ya see?"_

_Sonny pursed her lips and carried on gathering her pile back together in silence._

_Chad watched her for a moment. "If you don't understand, that's–" _

"_I understand, Chad." Sonny interrupted him._

_Chad puffed a mouthful of sweet-scented air over Sonny's face. "Fine."_

_Sonny sighed. "Not now, Chad."_

_Chad's jaw dropped, revealing his sparkling white teeth, along with the rest of his mouth. "But that's our thing!"_

_Sonny stood up, momentarily ignoring the pile she had already rebuilt. "Our thing? We don't have a thing, we hate each other."_

_Chad passed her all of the stuff she had flung over the floor when they'd fallen over each other. "Do we, Sonny? Do we really?"_

_Sonny smiled. "I dunno, it just always looked like we did, so I just always figured we did."_

"_Well," They were walking down the corridor, now. "Appearances can be deceiving." He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her and turned to face her. "Like, I bet it looked like you were gonna take the elevator…" He pressed a button and the doors started closing shut. "But, in actual fact, you're gonna have to take the stairs."_

_The doors closed fully, blocking Sonny's view of Chad Dylan Cooper. She shook her head. She should have seen that coming. She backed away from the door, carrying her papers, and headed for the stairs._

* * *

Sonny shook her head. Chad and Tawni were leaning over her nervously. Chad had a hand on Sonny's shoulder and a finger poised over the call button, while Sonny had both hands over her mouth and tears brimming on the edge of her eyelids. When Sonny's eyes opened up again they had both released an inadvertent sigh of relief.

"Don't do that to me again!" Tawni slumped back into her chair. "I thought you'd gone back under, and trust me – sister – sleeping beauty doesn't suit you."

Chad wasn't quite as relieved as Tawni. He pulled Sonny's face round to look into her eyes and bit his lip.

"Are you okay?" He stared into her eyes, preparing to sense a lie if there was one.

Sonny nodded. "I'm fine."

Chad held her gaze for a moment, then nodded as if this were confirmation enough and sat back down himself.

"So, what was that?" His question wasn't as intense this time.

Sonny explained about what she had remembered.

Chad nodded. "That's what happened."

Sonny sighed. "I just wish I could remember more…"

* * *

_So, did y'all miss me? Soz, but i've been spending loads of time with my mum because my dad, gdad and bro are off in spain. Well, the last lot of hamster babies are gone, so my room smells a bit better now i've been able to clean them out without making anyone eat their spawn. Also, my dog's due date is less than 3 weeks! And the day after that is my dad's bday. And the day after that is my GCSE results day. EEP._

_Hopefully i'll updating sooner next time. Ly, all, and please review._


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey-o everyboy. Sorry this chap took _SOOO_ long, but... well, i have no excuse but laziness. No complaining though, cause it's here now. I feel like this is a really long chap, but that might just be because i took so long writing it. Tell me what cha think. _

Sonny's chest rose and fell steadily as she slept, catching up with all the healing her body had to do. Her head, still swathed in a bandage after the operation, rested gently on the rough hospital pillow and her mouth fell partially open involuntarily. Her peaceful stature was broken by the repeated beeping of the scary-looking machines surrounding her. Anywhere else she would have looked good enough to don the front of a magazine, but the hospital setting put a bit of a damper on those thoughts.

Chad Dylan Cooper watched her restlessly, willing his sleepy eyes not to close while there was nobody there to keep an eye on her… to make sure her chest kept on rising and falling steadily. He had to; it was his duty.

He owed it to Sonny to do at least this. To keep himself awake, he thought to himself, forming actual sentences and arguments in his head:

'Stay awake, you jerk,' he thought, 'You put her here. You may as well have been the one pushing her down the stairs.'

'How can she have forgiven me?' he continued thinking to himself 'I was so self-absorbed and conceited that I let her get hurt!'

'Maybe,' he dared himself to think, realising he had to think it now that he dared himself to do it, 'Maybe Sonny saw me do something I missed. Something that clears me…'

Could it be true? Could he be able to sleep soundly at last, but not until she has someone looking after her, of course.

Chad ran the day of the accident through his head once more, adding to the innumerable, yet involuntary, times he had already done so.

jouncing

_Chad was talking to Portlyn, about something mundane that hadn't really interested him, when he saw Sonny storming down the corridor, wrapped up in her own little rage. But, even when she was in this frame of mind, Chad found it impossible to be intimidated by her; even when her nose was all wrinkled and her eyebrows furrowed, even when she let out angry puffs of air with each breath, even when she walked at twice her normal speed, she exuded kindness._

_He sighed and told Portlyn to rehearse a scene with someone else bluntly, leaving before she had a chance to argue. Chad turned on his heels and headed towards Sonny. She was carrying a huge pile of papers, and he wondered if it would be appropriate to carry them for her, before laughing at himself in his head. Chad Dylan Cooper didn't carry things for anyone, especially not inhabitants of the infamous Chuckle City._

_He was so involved in his own entertaining thoughts that he didn't notice she wasn't looking at him until it was too late. She charged into him, throwing her papers – scripts by the look of it – flying into the air all over the hall, with a small, shocked yell. Because of the speed she was going, her momentum forced Chad backwards onto the floor and she landed on top of him, sending an '_oomph'_ of air shooting out of his lungs._

_As he looked at the still-surprised Sonny on his chest, he chuckled inaudibly, barely even making his chest bounce to stop her from knowing he was laughing. This had worked out better than he'd planned._

_For effect, he groaned loudly, and her face was a picture of sincere remorse. _

_He spoke in a tired, breathy voice, "A bit less of the cheese, next time, Wisconsin."_

_Her kind face dropped from sincerity to understanding as she realised he'd been putting on the aggrieved expression, and she slid off of him to a kneeling position on the floor beside him. She didn't seem to notice how the friction of their bodies gave him goosebumps._

_She started to pick up her papers without reacting to Chad's jibe, which was unlike her, so he carried on his bit. "Seriously, what are you pushing, one fifty?"_

_Without looking at him, Sonny jeered back, "Almost a third of that, actually, Chad."_

_He flinched as he heard a snap. Could that be her teeth?_

_He started to shift out of the range of her limbs in case she chose to lash out, but realised even on her worst day she wouldn't do that and stopped himself half way._

_She was snapping at him, in more ways than one; words and teeth. Chad almost laughed at the pun inside his head, and decided it warranted saying aloud._

"_My, aren't we snappy." He waited to hear her usual giggle, or at least see her plump lips pull back to reveal her teeth in a grin._

_But neither of these actions took place, and she simply turned her head to face him as her eyes closed into narrow slits._

"_I'm. Not. In. The. Mood."_

_Clearly, she can't have understood his joke. Normally, she was so on the ball. What was up with her? Maybe he should have made it more obvious._

_Chad shook his head to show her she didn't have it all right, "No, don't you see what I did, there? You know, snappy; because of your teeth snapping, and the snappy comment. Ya see?" _

_Now she was ignoring him… _so_ unlike her! She pulled her chin in and pushed out her pinkish lips stubbornly. It may have meant to put him off, but it was very attractive on her. If he wasn't used to ignoring distractions – as a professional actor – he wouldn't have been able to keep on talking._

_He tried again, this time with a comforting tone, "If you don't understand, that's–" _

_Before he could finish, she butted in. "I understand, Chad."_

_Okay, either Sonny had been replaced by a really mean alien, or Chad had done something seriously wrong. There was only one way to rectify the situation._

_Chad smirked as he pulled out old faithful, "Fine."_

_Now she would reply 'fine' and everything would be exactly that. 'Fine.'_

_But, the word never came. Instead, Sonny let out a frustrated sigh and said, "Not now, Chad."_

_Chad's mouth fell open, surely almost hitting the floor. How could this be?_

"_But that's our thing!" Even alien Sonny would now enough about her to now _that_._

_Sonny stood up, revealing her long, shapely legs in black skinny jeans. "Our thing? We don't have a thing, we hate each other."_

_Chad was almost hurt. Did she really think that?_

_He handed her the pile of papers she'd dropped. When had he picked them up?_

_Another of their 'things' popped up, but he didn't do this one on purpose, "Do we, Sonny? Do we really?"_

_Finally, a sign that Sonny is still alive cooped up inside that slim, curvy body behind the apparent anger she had at the moment. She smiled._

"_I dunno, it just always looked like we did, so I just always figured we did."_

_Chad glanced down the hall, now, as they started moving. A clever, funny plan formed in his head that would bring back his Sonny while keeping the perfect amount of distance between them._

"_Well, appearances can be deceiving." He put a hand on her shoulder, feeling her smooth skin under her thin clothes. _

_Oh, how Chad Dylan Cooper loved living somewhere hot, where thin layers were all that people could stand. They'd reached the elevator, now, and he stopped her. She seemed thoroughly involved in what he was saying, so she hadn't noticed that yet._

_He continued with his speech smoothly, "Like, I bet it looked like you were gonna take the elevator…" He quickly pressed the close door button before she had realised what was going on. "But, in actual fact, you're gonna have to take the stairs."_

_The doors closed, blocking Sonny from Chad's view. He smirked to himself and leant on the railing around the edge of the elevator, deciding what to say when Sonny burst out of the doors to the stairs on the bottom floor._

_He should have known something was wrong when she took ten minutes walking down four flights of stairs, but he was so determined to play it cool that he waited it out._

'_My God, she take's her time,' he thought, leaning on the wall next to the elevators._

_Having taken a few minutes to find the perfect place that suggested he'd just stopped after arriving on the bottom floor, but was still in view of the stairs, he was quite unwilling to give up this spot to go see what was taking her so long._

_All this extra time standing around was a rarity in the world of Chad Dylan Cooper. He usually was too busy to just sit (or lean, in this instance) and think to himself._

_His thoughts, in these short moments of thought, inevitably came back to Sonny, and in this case he had an excuse. He started picturing her walking out of the doors, wearing her black skinny jeans, mauve blouse and black waistcoat. When he was helping her pick things up – Chad hoped Sonny appreciated that, because it did _not_ happen often – he'd seen her bright purple converse and noticed a few smiley faces drawn on in black Sharpie. He'd bet his right eye that she'd drawn those on herself. It was cute._

_Stupid cute…_

_Usually when he thought that, it came with a bitter edge, but not this time. It had a sort-of sentimental tone that he liked._

_It took a few more moments of this thought to convince him that, now that his 'wait-it-out' plan had failed, the best option was to head her off on the stairs._

_Now all he needed was a smart quip to make up for doing this on her turf, and a large selection was running through his head, not all good, but some fair choices:_

'_Use stairs much, Chuckles?'_

'_Maybe you really should cut back on that cheese…'_

'_What did you _do_ on you way down? I was worried aliens had abducted you!'_

_He stopped himself on the last one. That wouldn't work. It showed he cared… about aliens…_

_A few steps up, he heard someone running down the stairs. He smiled to himself. _

'_Must be Sonny coming to meet me,' he let a smirk creep its way onto his lips and practised the performing his line in his head._

_He rounded the corner to the second floor and nearly slipped on her blood. Once the utter panic had subsided enough to allow coherent thoughts, Chad realised Sonny needed help, and for him to be able to give her that, he needed to stay calm. Well, he needed to stay as calm as his shaking hands, blurred vision and rapid breathing would allow._

"_Okay," he spoke to himself, mainly, but also to Sonny, in case she could hear him, "Everything will be okay."_

_Sonny had blood pooling on her stomach and overflowing onto the floor surrounding her, all of which seemed to be coming from an openly bleeding, deep cut to her chest. She was at an exceptionally awkward angle, he leg bent almost underneath her body, with bones visibly broken. Her skin barely contained the bones. Lastly, her head was resting on the edge of a step, which couldn't be good. That kind of hit would cause all sorts of internal damage._

_While Chad had always been happy to be a famous actor, this was perhaps the moment when he most appreciated that. Several years back, he'd played a small part in a tragedy film, and had to run around helping people who'd just been in an explosion in the underground. In order to make this more realistic, the director had made him go on a first aid course, which would of course help him now._

_Chad frantically thought back to that long, boring day of pairing off and wrapping each other in unnecessary bandages and performing CPR on dummies, and finally remembered the annoying acronym that the instructor had kept on repeating._

_DR. ABC: Danger, Response, Airways, Breathing and Circulation._

_He'd already faced the danger of slipping up, and it didn't look like there were any others, so he moved on to response._

"_Sonny?" He reached out to shake her, but realise that would probably make things worse._

_When nothing happened after a number of seconds, Chad moved onto airways and checked her mouth. Nothing was blocking it, so he leant in to see if she was breathing._

_Her breath on his cheek had never felt, nor would ever feel so satisfying. For good measure he pushed his fingers gently into her wrist and found a pulse._

'_Okay, so she's alive. That's got to be a good thing.'_

_The next thing to do would be to… call an ambulance? He hated himself for not paying attention in that class._

_He decided that getting a professional's help would be the best thing, now, and pulled out his phone. Dialling 9-1-1, he ran a bloodied hand through his hair, not even caring that his beautiful blond hair would be tinged red._

_After two rings, an operator picked up._

"_9-1-1, where's the emergency?"_

_Chad shouted down the phone, his voice breaking twice as he spoke. "I'm at Condor Studios, and my friend has fallen down the stairs."_

_He wondered how it was possible for the operator to remain calm. "Where in Condor Studios are you, sir?"_

"_Uh…" He hated himself for taking the time to think. "The west staircase… uh… two flights up…" He was slowly losing any cool he had previously managed to maintain._

_The woman on the other side of the line could probably sense that, so she tried to distract him._

"_An ambulance is on its way." Her voice, laden with an English accent, was oddly soothing; she'd chosen the right job. "What's your friend's name?"_

_Chad barely heard the question, let alone paid attention to it. "She's bleeding a lot…"_

"_Okay." She carried on in her soothing tones, but had a business-like edge now that her medical training was kicking in. "What's her name?"_

_Chad answered this time. "Sonny." After a moment he added her last name. "Munroe. Sonny Munroe."_

"_Right. And what's your name?"_

"_Chad." She didn't need his last name, and he wanted to make sure there were no distractions._

_She nodded on her end of the line, thinking through the situation. "I'm Georgia. Is Sonny breathing okay?"_

_Chad also nodded, "Yes."_

_Georgia continued. "Where's she bleeding from Chad?"_

"_Her chest," he replied, dazed._

"_Okay, Chad, here's what I want you to do." Chad wasn't making any noise. "Chad?"_

_Chad spluttered an "okay" down the phone and shuffled back to face Sonny directly. He put the phone on speaker._

"_Can you take off your shirt?"_

_When Chad replied, he already had his shirt off. "Okay."_

"_Bunch it up and push it into the wound. Keep a lot of pressure on the area she's bleeding from, Chad."_

_Chad leant onto his shirt, using his body weight to do exactly what Georgia told him to do. "I'm doing that."_

"_Okay, Chad. Stay like that until the ambulance arrives."_

_Chad didn't know what to say to her. "Thank you."_

"_That's okay, Chad. Just stay on the line until the ambulance arrives. I'm here if you need me."_

_Chad turned to face Sonny, now. He was glad Georgia had given him something to do; it meant he had no excuse to completely lose his mind and freak out. He had a job to do, and if he didn't it wouldn't matter if he lost his mind, because he would lose Sonny._

_He heard footsteps rushing down the stairs, and he looked up to see Josh, the mail delivery boy, gawping. _

_Chad stared at him for a moment, unsure what was going through his head._

"_I did this." Josh collapsed onto a step, still unable to tear his eyes away from Sonny's limp body. "I ran into her with my cart. My hair… I couldn't see… I… I…"_

_Chad looked back down at Sonny. While he should feel anger towards Josh, he didn't. Finally, everything made sense. It was his fault. He'd made her take the stairs. He'd told Josh to grow his hair. He'd told Josh to ride his mail cart. It was _his_ fault._

It was his fault. There was no disputing that. Sonny was wrong, probably delirious with malnourishment because of the hospital food, or high on all the painkillers she was being given. She'd come to her senses soon, and she'd hate him forever. She'd be out of his life forever.

Chad squirmed in his seat at the thought. If that happened to him, he was sure he wouldn't survive it.

Little did he know that that would _never_ happen.

_Mysterious music plays: da da duuuuhhh! i hope y'all enjoyed it, and PLEASE tell me if you did, because i feel hard-done-by after the technical faults meant no one could review (right after i posted it, as well!) at least, i hope it was that. sad face. puppy dog eyes. anything that'll make you review. ly all._


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey all, sorry this took so long. i was lacking inspiration. i knew what was going to happen (i have it all cleverly planned out, ya see) but i had no idea how to write it. Plus i'm waiting for the dog to give birth, si i'm anxious about that... Please review._

Josh Marlow wasn't the most attractive boy, or the smartest, or the most popular, or – in fact – the most likeable. But, he had enough sense to notice the few good things in his life; his job, his hair and Sonny.

Before she'd arrived at Condor Studios, nobody even knew his name. Not even his employer. But Sonny had asked him, and remembered it. She's talked to him in passing, she'd celebrated his birthday, and she'd been a friend. And now he'd ruined it all.

He wasn't sure he would be able to stand the guilt that powered his every move since that fateful day any longer unless he faced her, but – just like his lacking in attractiveness, intelligence and likeability – he lacked the courage to take the blame. Surely, even being the nicest person in Condor Studios, maybe in the whole of Hollywood, she'd still hate him for pushing her down the stairs. The best he could hope for was a mild disliking, and being disliked by the kindest girl he'd ever met was not going to make him feel very good about himself.

But still, she probably already knew it was him anyway, so she probably already hated him, and putting it off would just make her hate him even more. It was a lose-lose situation.

And so, having taken a few days to hide in a shell of guilt, Josh found himself staring down the corridor towards Sonny's room. He was wearing his Sunday best – he wasn't sure what the wardrobe etiquette for visiting someone in hospital was, but looking smart couldn't hurt – and holding a huge bouquet of white and red roses that had cost him three days' pay.

He shuffled along in his shiny black shoes, nervously glancing behind him as he went, half hoping someone or something would run him down… perhaps a stray gurney. As he thought this, he checked behind him again, but there was nobody in sight.

With a resigned sigh, he held out a shaking hand and knocked lightly on the door, hoping she was asleep and that he'd have to come back.

"Come in," a male voice called out, which Josh recognised to be Chad Dylan Cooper's.

He was still here? Well, of course. He was in love with Sonny, as she was in love with him; everybody knew it but them. Typical.

This posed another problem, however, for Josh. Now not only would he have to face Sonny and her gracious hatred, but Chad would probably despise him as well. And Chad would most likely be a tad less nice about it all. There may in fact be blood spilt.

With an unexpected wave of bravery, Josh told himself 'at least I'm in a hospital' and entered.

Chad's face was blank as he walked slowly and cautiously into the surprisingly bright room. Josh had a quick glance around and noticed several bouquets already gracing a huge table that was littered also with cards and stuffed animals of indeterminate size and shape.

Josh moved further in, closer to Sonny's bed. So far, he hadn't dared look at her, and he immediately regretted it when he did. Her leg was hung up, wrapped in a thick cast, he could easily see the heavy bandaging in her chest, and her head was swathed in cloth, covering up her apparent lack of hair.

Finally, his eyes rested upon her face, and he saw she was pained. His face screwed up and he hung his head, awkwardly looking at his feet.

"Aw, Josh!" Josh's head shot up.

She sounded sympathetic. How could she be feeling sympathetic towards him? He'd put her in this state!

"I… I…" He wasn't able to say anything, partially through guilt, but mainly because of the shock of what she had said.

"I'm fine." She shuffled and Josh saw Chad nervously lean forward, but she shooed him away and he sat back in his seat, though still looking anxious. "Honestly, Josh, I'm absolutely fine."

Josh's mouth fell open and he finally found the words. "I'm so sorry. I… I just… I'm so sorry."

Sonny sighed. "I'm fine. No harm done."

"Wh…" Josh put the flowers on the table and approached the bed. "What do you mean? Your legs in a cast, you've got bandaging up the wazoo and you have no hair! You should totally hate me right now!"

Sonny groaned angrily, and for a moment Josh thought she'd finally caught up and was expressing her hatred towards him, but then she threw her head back in frustration and he realised it wasn't going to be that simple with Sonny.

"Why do people insist on taking the blame for what happened?" She gestured towards Chad and he bit his lip. "It was an accident; nobody's fault!"

Josh blinked. Could she be serious? Could she really be saying she didn't hate him, or even _blame_ him? Sonny Munroe was definitely the most wonderful, loveliest person in the world.

For the first time since the accident, Josh smiled. "You don't hate me?"

Sonny shook her head, ignoring the dizziness it caused her. "Definitely not."

"Wow." Josh sat down in the chair next to Chad. "Well, I think it's safe to say that that's a load off."

He let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at Chad. He, once again, looked impassive.

"How 'bout you?" He was nervous, now; who knew what Chad would do for Sonny? "Do you hate me?"

Chad turned his head lazily to face Josh. "Man, I've barely gotten over hating myself for all this. Don't turn that on you."

Josh nodded and quickly turned his attentions back to Sonny. "So, is there anything I can do for you?"

Sonny didn't even think about his offer before declining it. "No, I'm fine, thanks. I've got Chad waiting on me hand and foot, so I'm making the most of that while it lasts." She smiled at the mock-scowl that Chad aimed at her.

After a moment of silence, though, she piped up suddenly, as if something had just occurred to her. "Actually, Josh, there is one thing."

Josh stood up eagerly. "Anything."

Chad seemed just as intrigued, if not more as he wondered why she wasn't asking him.

Sonny motioned for him to sit back down. "No, it's just a question." She paused, perhaps nervous. "I was just wondering what happened. You know, from your point of view?"

He shrugged, unsure of why she wanted to know, but pleased he could do something for her.

"Well, I'd just finished delivering the mail to that gladiator show, and I was way ahead of schedule. So, on the way to So Random! I was heading down an empty corridor and I remembered what Chad had suggested, so I decided to try out some mail cart riding. There were some wet floor signs up, and I remember thinking that it'd be extra fast." He swallowed, slowing down as he recalled his story. "I was halfway down the corridor when I hit the wet floor, and I ricocheted. I was bouncing off the walls, going really quick, and my hair was all over my face so I couldn't see…" He coughed. "Next thing I know I've hit someone and went flying backwards. I laid there for a minute or so, before I got up to check and see if anyone was hurt. I couldn't see anyone on the first few flights, but I heard talking, and found Sonny–"

Chad jumped up. "Okay, we know what happened after that."

Josh bit his lip and saw Sonny staring at the ceiling. Chad sat back down and placed a hand on hers; she didn't seem to notice it, and looked at Josh.

"Thanks, Josh." She smiled. "I've just been trying to piece it all together, you know."

And with that, Josh decided to hastily retreat to a bed he hadn't dared return to after the inauspicious incident. He waved his goodbyes and left the two to their thoughts.

Chad and Sonny were silent for several minutes. Chad was watching Sonny, and Sonny was thinking. Every now and then she would shake her head or furrow her eyebrows, and Chad barely stopped himself from asking her what was wrong. He was already here night and day, leaving her next to no privacy, and invading like that would push the bar too far.

However, his restraint was for nothing, because after a few seconds she talked to him.

"There was something Josh said…"

Chad 'hmm'ed, encouraging her to continue.

"He…" She reached up and stroked her bandaged head, wincing.

Chad hopped up. "What's the matter? Does it hurt?"

Sonny actually laughed. "No, no, Chad. It's just… my hair's really gone?"

Chad rolled his eyes, sighed, and sat back down. "Is that all? That's no big deal."

Sonny huffed. "Well, I think it's a big deal. I have no hair!"

Chad chuckled. "I would have thought Miss Sonny Munroe wouldn't have been so looks orientated."

Sonny frowned. "Imagine it were you."

Chad's whole face fell for a microsecond, before he pulled it together. "I wish it were."

"Chad!" Sonny grumped. "Please don't go into that again! Back to the important matter at hand and away from your wishy-washy self pity."

Chad shook his head. "Well, it's different for me. I'm an egotistical teen star who relies solely on his good looks and skills. You have a likeable character that makes everyone adore you. If I lost all my hair, I'd lose all my fans. When people find out you've lost all _your_ hair, you'll triple your fan base, if not more."

"But I'm a girl." Sonny moaned. "I may not think it's important, but boys are shallow; they need cute. I won't get a date for years – until my hairs past my ears at least!"

Chad sighed. "Sonny, don't worry about looking cute. You always look cute."

Sonny eyes moistened. "Really?"

Chad smiled a genuine smile. "Really. And that stupid cute could get you anything, if you were sly enough to use it to your advantage."

"Oh, Chad." She looked down, embarrassed.

Chad's voice had a serious tone when he spoke. "Sonny, I…"

Sonny looked up, their eyes met, and the door burst open, revealing Tawni – pretty in purple, today – holding numerous bags with a number of different designer labels pasted all over them.

"I brought pre-sents!" She sang, but when she saw the pair, her shoulders slumped. "Gooey eyes, again. Perfect timing, Tawni."

She looked at them again and shuddered.

"Tawni." Chad grinned, jokingly. "So, what did you get me?"

Tawni smiled wryly. "You may kid, but the kind and wonderful Tawni did get you something."

She rummaged among the results of her shopping day and pulled out a Ralph Lauren bag, and handed it to Chad. "A new t-shirt – nothing fancy, it's white – some soap and cologne. Two guesses at what I'm hinting."

Chad smiled. "Well, if I smell, you could have told me!"

They all laughed. It had been Tawni's sole purpose for the last two days to convince Chad that he had to leave Sonny, wash and change. She claimed the stench was making her hair go frizzy.

Tawni looked at Sonny, who was still smiling, and smiled herself. "Well, Sonny. There's one good thing come out of this whole thing."

Sonny looked at her, confused. "What's that?"

Tawni looked smug. "I'll bet it took your mind right off the whole stalker thing, didn't it."

_So, a bit more happening in this chap, then. excitement. ooohh... okay, well, i think part of the reason this chap took so long is that i had barely any reviews and i was feeling really depressed. So, this time i will resort to briberyl: anyone who reviews will not only get a message of thanks from moi, but you will also get a piece of virtual food. what food you get is determined by you review. please tell me what you think. LY_


	11. Chapter 11

_So sorry this chap took so long, but the puppies have arrived! Poppy had 6, but one had a cleft palet and it didn't make it. Plus the internet kept playing up and my dad had to revamp the whole system. Anyway, here it is:_

Sonny's smile faltered. "Um, sorry. What?"

Tawni shook her head. "You know, your stalker?"

Sonny's smile had now left her face entirely. "WHAT!"

Tawni saw how serious she was and looked taken aback. "You… you don't remember?"

Chad stood up, furious. "Of course she doesn't! She had severe head trauma!"

Sonny was shocked at how mad he looked. He may have been angry in the past, but she'd never seen him lose his cool to this extent.

"I'm sorry, but I thought–" Tawni was really upset, but Chad kept at it.

"No, Tawni, no!" He was shaking, he was so mad. "You never think! You just…" He raved on.

Sonny was all but standing on the bed. "Stop, you two, stop…!"

A nurse came running into the bedroom looking panicked. "Everyone quiet now!" Her authority over the teens meant that quiet came pretty much straight away. "If I hear one more peep out of you, then you will be asked to leave!"

Chad and Tawni muttered apology as Sonny lay back down, catching her breath. The nurse checked her stats and tutted at the two visitors, and then left them in silence.

It didn't take Chad long to find his voice, but he was calmer, and spoke in hushed tones. "I'm sorry, Tawni, but did you not think that this was something to be shared? This stalker could have gotten in here!"

Tawni put her hand over her face and started crying, very quietly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Sonny sighed, relieved the tension was at least broken. "That's okay, Tawni. It's not your fault."

Chad looked about ready to dispute that when Sonny sent daggers at him and he closed his mouth, somewhat resembling a fish.

"So, she has a stalker." It was evident he was restraining himself as he encouraged Tawni to reveal more information.

Tawni nodded. "Yeah, she got a card–"

Sonny held her hand up with her eyes closed. "Wait, I think I… I think I actually remember now…"

* * *

"_I have so many fans that I just don't know what to do with all of my letters!" Tawni exclaimed as she threw a handful of letters into the air._

_Sonny shrugged, flicking more gently through her pile of fan letters (which she carefully chose not to point out was slightly taller than Tawni's). As Tawni continued to wrongfully gloat, Sonny found an interesting one that was covered in So Random! stamps. She peeled it open and out fell a purple card with green and orange trimmings. It had a heart-shaped picture of her on it with "I love Sonny Munroe!" A proud smile reached her pink lips. _

_Still smiling, she opened it and inside was another smaller envelope. She put that on the side and had a gander at the inside of the card. Slowly, her smile faded._

_There were many more pictures of her here, starting off with the basic So Random! ones and some of her first headshots, but escalating to pictures of her at restaurants and at home. It seemed this person had followed her around to take these, and Sonny could feel her heart beats speeding up in her chest. Intermingled with these intrusive pictures were the words. "You will be mine." It was signed Mr. Sonny Munroe._

_Sonny dropped the card, nervously glancing over to the envelope. She daren't think about what she might find hidden in this, but finding the words "For proof" written across the front inspired no confidence. The smile that had chanced a visit to her mouth had now been replaced entirely by a full-on grimace._

_Apparently, during this mind-numbing period of time, Tawni had asked Sonny a question to which no answer had been given, and she was no releasing an annoyed whine. "So-nny!"_

_Sonny turned to face her friend and co-star, and even with her reputation for being eternally idiotic about emotions, the teen star noticed instantly that something was not right._

_She smiled sympathetically. "Did you get hate mail?"_

_Sonny shook her head mindlessly._

_Tawni frowned. "Then what?"_

_Sonny handed Tawni the card, and seconds later Tawni had an expression on her face that much reflected that of Sonny's. _

_Silent, Tawni closed the card and placed it on the edge of Sonny's dresser, behind the remaining pile of fan letters, as if by hiding it the whole problem would disappear. But it didn't._

"_That looks like a st–"_

"_Yeah."_

"_I don't have a stalker…"_

_Sonny turned to Tawni, enraged. "Are you seriously jealous?"_

_Tawni stared agape, unsure how to reply._

_Quickly, though, Sonny sighed and apologised. "It's just… It's kinda scary. Who knows who this person is, or how far they'll go!"_

_Tawni nodded, still taken aback by Sonny's snappy anger._

_Sonny turned to the other envelope. "There's also this."_

_She daintily picked it up to show Tawni, as if afraid it may spontaneously burst into flames._

_Tawni eyed it equally warily and made the decision they'd both regret. "I guess we should open it?"_

_Sonny nodded glumly and picked it up._

_The pair subconsciously leaned into each other as Sonny pulled at the envelope, which had been thoroughly taped down. After a short while, and a bit of annoyed huffing, she got it open, and Tawni leant so far forward to see what was in it that they banged heads._

_After that she sat back and let Sonny take the lead in the investigation into the mystery package._

_Tawni couldn't tell what was inside by the expression on Sonny's face, nor could she catch a glimpse of it in the reflection of her eye – though not without trying – so she asked._

"_Sonny, what is it?" It accidentally came out as a whine._

_Sonny reached in delicately with her long, slim fingers, muttering almost inaudibly about "some kind of ribbon"._

_She pulled it out and practically immediately dropped it onto the desk. She then recoiled as much as she possibly could while still remaining in the chair; Tawni moved towards it._

_There, sitting in a little pile on the desk, was a mixture of warm brown and cold black lines The brown ones appeared clean cut, curved slightly as though part of a wave, and the black were quite short and had tiny white balls on the end._

"_EEWW!" Tawni shrieked and jumped backwards, tumbling over the chair in true slapstick fashion, "It's HA-AIR!"_

_Sonny nodded, still partially in shock with an expression of utter disgust etched across her face, seemingly forever._

_Sonny was still holding the empty envelope, and checked inside out of habit. There was a piece of paper stuck inside, apparently intended accompany the hairs._

_It said: "Please find enclosed a mixture of your hair and my hair, to symbolise the unity of our love."_

_Sonny scowled, shuffled closer to the pile of hair and started separating the two colours into separate piles. Tawni, repulsed by the idea of touching somebody else's hair, put her hand on Sonny's shoulder._

"_You don't need to do that." She smiled when Sonny looked up hopefully (for a moment, she'd thought perhaps Tawni would do it for her). "Whoever this is, he's stupid and crazy. Don't let him bring you down to his level."_

_Sonny nodded. She knew it made sense, but she didn't want to have any part of him touching any part of her. However, before she could start up her frantic separating again, Tawni screwed up her nose, held her breath and brushed the hair off the desk into the bin next to it._

_Sonny, slightly annoyed at her failed attempt to separate the hairs, strutted over to a shared table and snatched up a pile of folders and scripts that needed to go down to Marshall's office, and stormed out of the dressing room, leaving Tawni slightly befuddled._

_And so, she was charging down the corridor, when she bumped into a certain heartthrob._

* * *

"That's about right, yeah." Tawni mumbled, remembering.

Chad shook his head and the steam coming out of his ears was practically visible.

Sonny placed a hand on his and his appearance instantly relaxed.

Tawni voiced her train of thoughts. "So, do we need guards on the door, now?"

Chad answered. "Well, we've already got extra security on the front door to stop any fans getting in, but oddly enough not many people are willing to fight their way into the place full of sick people."

Tawni nodded, desperate to keep in the loop after her brain meltdown.

Chad continued. "But, yeah, there is a chance he could get in here despite that…"

Sonny started talking this time. "Chad?"

He looked down at her, a smile on his lips.

"Thank you," she said simply.

He was still smiling, but his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Before he could ask, Sonny explained. "For being here. For never leaving my side. If you hadn't… who knows? Maybe you were the only thing stopping him coming in here!"

Chad smiled a full face smile, with his eyes crinkling up, and leant in.

They hugged for a few moments, before Tawni said, "What the hey!" and joined in.

_Well, i hope that answers some of the questions you've been screaming at me, but hopefully inspires some more. Please review._


	12. Chapter 12

_This is a long chap that i've been working on for a while. lots of things have been happening that has put me off writing this story (we lost one of the pups :( x 1000, and one of my friends boyf is a complete jerk and idiot - say no to drugs - so they're no longer together, and on a happier note i've started sixth form). Well, enjoy. Tis reasonably exciting, i must say. _

Sonny jumped awake from a nightmare. She was being chased by a masked figure with a giant pair of scissors; from a third party it would have been comical, as the scissors were much like those used to cut ribbons at opening ceremonies, but she was still shaking.

The room was completely silent, even the machines that usually whirred and beeped were quiet – obviously somebody had finally had some sense and turned them off to give her a good night's sleep. Chad was a mere shadow curled up on the chair in the corner (she couldn't even make out which way he was facing) and the rest of the room was swathed in darkness.

She stared at his peacefully sleeping body, and felt peaceful again. As she was drifting back into a restful sleep, somebody crept through the door. They were clearly making a big effort to not wake her, crouching over, carefully testing each step before placing their weight on that foot, and Sonny didn't want to put anyone out.

"I'm awake, don't worry." Sonny called out gently, still making sure Chad wouldn't be disturbed.

The figure froze and their head snapped to face her. They stayed frozen for a moment, and then slowly started moving forward. Sonny shuffled around, turning her back on the person to reach the light on the desk to the side of her bed.

She turned back around and saw the person who had entered her room. It was a man, or a tall boy, and he had a black mask on. He reached forward with a large hand and covered her mouth before her sleep-deprived senses could react. She tried to scream, but his hand was covering his entire mouth. He pushed it harder onto her and she could feel his sweaty skin rubbing against her nose and blocking off her air supply. As her lungs started to ache, she clawed at his hands, but no matter how hard she grabbed at it, she couldn't get a hold to pull him off her.

All the while his hand on her mouth, he pulled himself onto the bed and straddled her. He leaned closer and the tiny amount of light still being emitted by the machines glinted in his eyes.

He moved in closer, breathing deeply into her ear, and whispered, "Now we're gonna have fun."

* * *

Still screaming into her pillow, Sonny woke up to find Chad shaking her, yelling. She jolted upright, but before she'd realised where she was enough to calm down, she was wrapped up in the numerous cords and wires sticking on and into her all over her body. Chad held her forcefully onto the bed until he'd either ripped them off or disentangled her limbs from them. By the time he turned to check and see if she was hurt, Sonny was silent.

She knew it had been a dream… within a dream… but it had still scared her. The fact that it wasn't an irrational fear, that it could really happen, that there really was someone out there that might want to hurt her – or worse… she just wanted to feel safe.

As if he could read her mind, Chad leaned forward and pulled her into an embrace. She sighed into his shoulder, letting a few tears flow and wet his shirt.

"It's okay, Sonny." He said, feeling he should comfort her. "It was only a dream. It was only a dream."

Even though she'd already calmed down, Chad started stroking her hair.

"What was it about?" Chad had already guessed the answer, but he wanted to both confirm it and be a release to Sonny.

"Just the stalker." She smiled a false smile. "It's silly to get so worked up about it."

Chad immediately shook his head. "It's not silly at all! Having a stalker is a really scary thing."

Sonny nodded and stared at her fingers, fiddling precisely with each finger and picking at her nails.

Chad suddenly seemed distracted. "That guy is such a creep." He shook his head, and his voice slowly got louder and angrier. "I can't believe somebody would go that far! How could he think it would be attractive, and how could he violate your privacy that much and still expect for you to consider even _meeting _him!" While his head had stopped shaking, his whole body had started, and his hands were pulled into tightly clenched fists. "He makes me _so_ angry. I could literally throttle him right now."  
Sonny's eyebrows shot up. Throttling? That meant caring enough to throttle…

Chad caught her expression and turned to quickly explain. "I wouldn't kill him, ya know, just scare him a bit…"

Despite his words he stared off into the corner and his eyes narrowed while a small smile touched the corners of his lips.

Sonny sat up, concern. "You shouldn't have to worry about this, too. I'm sorry I got you all upset." Her eyebrows pulled together.

Chad rushed forward and an arm was over her shoulder before she could focus on his face. "Don't be like that. Your worry is my worry at the moment. You can't bear all the burdens." He smiled. "And anyway, I'd hate him even if we weren't here…"

Sonny tilted her head off to one side. "I hadn't even realised you were angry. You didn't _look_ angry."

Chad smirked. "Appearances can be deceiving."

Sonny closed her yet and was thrown into yet another flashback.

* * *

"_Appearances can be deceiving." He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her and turned to face her. "Like, I bet it looked like you were gonna take the elevator…" He pressed a button and the doors started closing shut. "But, in actual fact, you're gonna have to take the stairs."_

_The doors closed fully, blocking Sonny's view of Chad Dylan Cooper. She shook her head. She should have seen that coming. She backed away from the door, carrying her papers, and headed for the stairs._

_It was so like him to back out of a nice conversation, or accidental compliment; it was almost like he planned it. But, at least he'd cheered her up a bit. It seemed like no matter what he did, insult or not, whenever she was near him she was happy (even if it was an angry happy)._

_She looked down at her jeans to hide the blush that touched her cheeks from anyone that could be looking – despite the fact that they wouldn't know what she was blushing about – so, once again, she wasn't looking where she was going. Of course, that meant she didn't see the wet floor sign._

_On an average day in her average attire, the heels on her shoes would have been manageable and she would have managed to retain her balance. However, with it being the day after Tawni had surprised her by telling her she needed a 'Hollywood' makeover, Sonny was expected to wear the things Tawni had made her buy, and therefore had on a pair of Jimmy Choo's three-inch heels (which were incidentally utterly beautiful, but that was beside the point)._

_As anyone watching could have predicted, Sonny slipped, sprawled herself over the floor that the nearby janitor had just mopped, and cracked her knee on a bucket._

"_Oh my God!" The janitor rushed forward to help her._

_She moaned a little, but felt guilty for ruining his floors and tried to ignore any pain she felt. The first thing she noticed about him was that he had really strong arms and really soft hands, as he had grabbed her by her waist, to help her up, and her blouse had flown up on top of her waistcoat, exposing some skin._

_The man pulled her up and supported her for a moment, when she found out he was in fact a boy about her age. He was Hispanic, with light brown skin and dark hair, wearing a blue jumpsuit that clashed just enough for it to look cool. He spoke with a soothing Spanish accent. "Are you okay?"_

_She nodded dumbly, shocked at how easily he had gotten her onto her feet._

_His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Can you stand up?"_

_She nodded again._

_He frowned at her for a moment, before shrugging and releasing her from his tight, reassuring grip. He hovered there for a second and a good thing too, as after he let her go, Sonny's knee buckled and he caught her._

_He laughed. "Guess that's actually a no, or do I just make you go weak at the knees?" _

_Sonny finally managed to speak. "Uh, yeah."_

'_Great.' She scolded herself inwardly. 'A nice, attractive boy and I can't even think coherently enough to conjure up an intellectual answer to a flirtatious question.'_

_He didn't seem hindered by her obvious lack of wit at the moment, and continued helping her by holding her entire weight while leading her over to a couple of seats next to the door to the stairs. As he all but carried her, she stretched out her limbs and checked that she was actually ok. Thankfully, it was only her knee that was a bit sore, and it must have just been the shock that had weakened her._

_The handsome boy placed her on the chair and knelt in front of her, smiling. _

"_How's that?" He looked tentatively at her legs, as if even sitting she might collapse._

_Sonny smiled and they locked eyes. "It's fine. I think I'm actually alright; just the shock, you know?"_

_Despite her words, she was unwilling to move for fear that she'd have to look away from his deep brown eyes and smooth face. She bit her lip when she realised how intensely they were staring at each other._

"_I really ought to go…" She looked over to the pile of papers on the floor and moaned. "How many times have I spilt those damn scripts?"_

_She got to her feet – the janitor looking very nervous as she did so – and tested her knee by putting a little bit of weight on it. Apart from the expected soreness that was sure to be accompanied by a hefty bruise, she was fine, so she trotted over to the papers, this time stepping carefully where it was wet._

_The janitor stood by her faithfully, holding his hands out in case, and she laughed. _

_When he looked hurt, she quickly added, "Sorry. I'm _really_ okay. Honestly."_

_He sighed and stood up straight out of his protective safety net pose._

_Sonny thanked him anyway and knelt down to collect her papers, and he soon joined her, scooping them up and trying to sort them neatly, but they were wet and stuck to each other at odd angles._

_Sonny felt guilty about interrupting his work and then making him clear up her mess afterwards. "You don't have to do this…"_

_He smirked awkwardly. "Actually, it's kinda my job. And even if it weren't, it's blocking the floor I was supposed to be mopping."_

"_Oh." She snorted at her own idiocy, and then sent another smile at him. "Well, sorry for making a mess and slowing down you work."_

"_That's okay. It's actually the best thing that happened to me today." He smiled a dazzling smile, with gleaming white teeth that stretched across his face, fitting perfectly with his handsome features._

_Almost unknowingly she smiled back._

_She realised she'd smiled more at him in these few minutes than she had at anyone else that day (well, that probably wasn't true – she smiled a lot – but it felt like it, and as an actor exaggeration is expected), and yet she didn't know anything about him._

"_What's your name?" She started with the basics. If he wasn't interested in getting to know her better she could leave it at that._

_He looked up, shocked. "Uh, Emilio Garcia."_

_Sonny looked down, upset that he didn't want to talk to her, and focused on picking up her scripts. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."_

_He quickly shook his head and she turned to him, unwilling to stop staring at him for too long anyway, and glad for the excuse to look back at him again._

"_No, no." He spoke quickly; clearly worried he'd offended her. "You're just the first person whose asked me that. Most people ignore me"_

_Sonny's mouth fell agape. "Really? How long have you worked here?"_

_Emilio looked up, thinking. "About… 3 months? Something like that."_

_Sonny shook her head in awe. "I'm sorry…"_

_Emilio smiled. "Don't be."_

_Their eyes locked again, but Sonny broke it early this time to gather more of her papers. "Well, um, my name's Sonny Munroe, and I'm on So Random!"_

_Emilio nodded. "I think everyone in the country knows that. I always wanted to know why, though… Fame, fortune…?"_

_Sonny shrugged. "I enjoy it. I've always believe that doing what you enjoy is reason enough."_

_Emilio nodded. "Then, of course, when that plan fails, you can work as a janitor at the local studios to earn money for you battered old mustang."_

_Sonny's jaw dropped. "You have a mustang? Sweet!"_

_Emilio's eyebrows rose. "You know I'm talking about the car, right?"_

_Sonny pouted and put on a mock-stupid voice. "Aw, I thought it was the horsey. Oh no, and I was so excited."_

_He laughed and shook his head. "Si, I should have known."_

_Sonny bit her lip, curious. "I don't mean to be rude, but I really love your accent. Where are you from?"_

"_Mexico." He looked bored, and had clearly been asked the same question time and time again. "This small village that nobody's heard of: Santa Mar__ía__ del Rio."_

_Sonny gasped. "Oh my gosh, I've been there!" Emilio gaped at her, so she continued. "Isn't there a crazy psychic who lives right in the middle and claims she can read the minds of small children and goats?"_

_Emilio nodded, his mouth still open, "Caracol, after the–"_

"–_Yu-gi-oh! Yes, that's it! The psychic snail!" Sonny laughed and Emilio caught himself staring at her smiling face. _

_Still in awe of Sonny, he said what he was thinking without realising until after it had been said. "Will you go out with me sometime?"_

_Sonny stopped laughing and looked to see if he was serious. For about the thousandth time since she'd met him, Sonny smiled._

* * *

Sonny opened her eyes less than a second after the flashback had started. Her face alarmed Chad that something had happened.

"You okay?" He moved his head to look in her eyes. "Did you remember something?"

Sonny nodded. She thought for a few minutes, processing what she had remembered. And then, all previously distressing thoughts left her mind, and she grinned.

She looked over to Chad and announced, "I was asked out by the janitor just before the accident." There was happiness radiating with her voice.

Chad's facial expression didn't change. "What did you say?"

Sonny closed her eyes. "I can't remember, but I'm sure it was good."

Chad sat awkwardly. "What was his name?"

Sonny opened her eyes again, and a special glint reflected off them. "Emilio Garcia." She sighed. "He's so dreamy."

"Are you sure it wasn't a dream?" Chad asked hopefully.

Sonny thought for a second, and though she was fairly sure, she pulled down her covers to reveal a large, bucket-shaped bruise on her knee, and smirked to herself. "Yep, I'm sure."

The pair was silent for a moment; Sonny was silently remembering and dreaming about her knee Mexican hunk, and Chad was silently thinking, unsure about how to approach this situation.

"Alright." Chad was no longer looking at Sonny. "Do you want to know what you said to him?"

"More than anything," Sonny gasped.

Chad nodded. "Then I'll find this guy for you."

He stood up and left the hospital room without another word.

Sonny stared at the door after he gone. Had she done something to upset him?

_Aw, poor Chad. He will willing accept any consolements you would like to give via review. PLEASE. ly all._


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey all, and I hope you all had a merry christmas. Sorry's it's taken sooo long to update, but the holidays have been the only time i've had free to write! It's not exceptionally long, but i hope it feeds the craving you seem to be having, going by your reviews. You seem desperate! Btw, BIG shout out to BlackFeatherz29 for being the 100th person to put this story on alert, and to rockyoursocks167 for being the 200th person to review my story! Thank you all._

"What's wrong?" Marshall gripped either side of Chad's shoulders. "I can't believe I left her. She's woken up, hasn't she? She's asking for me. I should have stayed."

Chad blinked.

"I'm sure it's my fault, I should have asked for those extra elevators. It's Hollywood, for God's sake; we can afford some damn elevators… I should pay for them now, and name them after Sonny." Marshall looked around frantically for someone to inform of his plan.

Chad finally realised what was going on. Marshall must be worried about Sonny.

"She's fine, Marshall. I just came to find something out for her." He smiled, but at the moment the only person who could inspire a real smile from him was Sonny.

Marshall remained unconvinced. "Then what are you doing here? Tawni informs me that you never leave her side?"

Chad sighed and scratched his head. "Sonny remembered a few things from the day of the accident; specifically a janitor that she _liked_. I was wondering if you could help me find him quickly, so that I can get him and get back to her… the hospital as soon as I can."

Marshall nodded knowingly. "I'm sorry, Chad. Unrequited love is a challenging obstacle. Why," He put is arm around Chad's shoulder, "I remember when I first met my second love, I didn't g–"

Chad quickly shrugged out of the contact. "Now? Really? I just told you I was in a rush."  
Marshall dusted himself of and looked awkward. "Um, alright then. Follow me."

He led Chad down a long corridor at the back of the So Random! set, up some stairs and past several boring looking doors. Unlike the rest of the studio, this area was shady and dull, with little cold colours covering the walls and worn down carpets barely covering the floors.

Chad looked around nervously. "Marshall, where are we? Cause if you're planning on taking me somewhere to murder me, I'd rather turn back now."

Marshall chuckled to himself. "I take it you've never been to see the studio technicians before, then?"

Chad shook his head. "I didn't think anybody did… Aren't they agoraphobic?"

"No." Marshall rolled his eyes, but Chad was too focused on hurrying to notice. "In fact Sonny used to visit these guys once a week, with a thank you present every time."

Chad paused mid-step, but soon resumed his previous hasty speed. "That's Sonny."

They reached a door equal in blandness to all of the others at the end of the hall and Marshall knocked before entering, leading Chad in.

They fit the stereotype; broken glasses, braces holding their pressed trousers up to their waist, orthopaedic shoes with curved soles, plaid shirts of varying colours and eternally screwed up noses.

However, Chad didn't notice this. All he saw were Sonny's friends and people who could help him to help her. The old Chad would have shuddered at what he had become.

Marshall smiled politely. "Morning, boys. How's it going?"

They all muttered their greetings without looking up from their work.

Marshall continued. "Sorry, guys, but I'm gonna have to ask a favour of you. Chad here needs to find somebody who works as a janitor at the studio.

The one in the middle stopped suddenly and jerked his head up, while the other two slowed down and peeked out of the corners of their eyes. He appeared much more confident than the other two, and Chad concluded that he therefore must be the leader.

"Ah, the mighty Chad Dylan Cooper graces us with his coveted presence." He scoffed and turned to his fellow nerds. "Aren't we honoured, boys?"

They guffawed to themselves, each stopping whatever geeky action they were performing. It seemed one was rewiring a circuit board or something, another was putting a huge piece of sound equipment back together and the leader had been typing at a hundred miles an hour on possibly the largest keyboard in the world, or at least out of those that Chad had seen.

Chad swallowed his pride, or what little of it he had left, and stepped forward. "His name is–"

"I'm sorry, Mr CDC, but _you_ are not welcome here." The leader stuck his chin up and stared him down.

"Please, I need your help." The desperation in his voice almost outweighed the distaste they felt towards him.

The leader sneered. "And why should we help _you_?"

On any other day, Chad would have laughed at them, insulted them, and then threatened to have them fired because he was more important to the studio than they were – a fact he didn't know was in fact incorrect; they had each been trained at MIT and were the only people who knew how to build, fix and run the specific devices used by the studio. However, with what had happened to him over the previous few days, Chad hadn't the energy, and so he used the argument he knew would work on anyone working at Condor Studios.

"It's for Sonny."

Their faces fell, the cockiness instantly vanishing at the mentioning of her name, and they exchanged worried glances.

"For Sonny?" His voice was suddenly pathetic and weak, barely a whisper.

Chad nodded. "She's starting to remember things from the day of the incident, specifically a janitor she spoke to named Emilio Garcia. He asked her out and she wanted to know what her answer was, because she can't remember."

A flash of anger crossed the leader's face, but he quickly stifled it.

Attempting to sound casual, but actually speaking an octave higher than before, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Somebody asked her out?"

Chad nodded. He'd normally have noticed the tone of jealousy in the oddly tall technician's voice, but he was concentrating on the floor, rather than thinking about the lucky boy out there who caught Sonny's eye.

One of the two piped up from the back, "Anything for Sonny."

Chad hadn't noticed before, but looking around the room while they searched the database for Emilio Garcia he saw a lot of photos of Sonny. Many of them were with the technicians in various poses, but there were also blown up pictures of heron the set of So Random! and many autographed photos with scribbled messages. It was starting to creep him out, but they distracted him by tutting and sighing loudly at the screen.

Chad furrowed his light blonde eyebrows and focused his sky blue eyes at the screen, trying to decipher the technobabble running across it. "What is it?"

The leader continued typing, but talked over the tapping noise. "Either there's something wrong with the system…"

Another one of the nerds leaning over his shoulder chirped in, "… but there's never anything wrong with the system…"

The leader continued, "… or this 'Emilio Garcia' never worked here."

He stopped and they all turned around. There was a moment of silence around the room as they each looked at each other, confused.

Chad ran a hand through his thick blonde hair and swore under his breath.

With a resigned sigh, he made his way to the door. "Thanks for trying, guys…"

Before he had turned the handle, the leader called out. "Chad?"

He slowly reeled around. "Yeah?"

"How is she?" Concern was etched into the corners of his youthful and geeky face.

Chad attempted a smile. "Okay, I guess, considering."

He nodded. "And you've been there with her?"

"The whole time…" He sighed. "Why?"

They exchanged a knowing, but oddly sad, glance. "Be good to her, Chad Dylan Cooper."

Chad shook his head and his eyes glazed over. "I don't deserve her…"

Before the tiny tear beginning to form in the corner of his eye could turn into anything more, he bit his lip and rushed out of the room and down the corridor, readying on his way back to the hospital and to Sonny.

_Go on; review. As a christmas present to me. Ly._


	14. Chapter 14

_Here's another chapter. This one is a bit more exciting than the last one. Enjoy:_

He was a failure. How could he return, after failing her, only to let her hopes down and see the look of masked disappointment?

Of course, Sonny wouldn't say or do anything that would upset him, but that would just make him feel guiltier. She just had to be good person! Why wouldn't she just yell at him and relieve some of the crushing shame he had hanging over him. He just wished he had someone other than himself to blame…

"You're Chad Dylan Cooper, right?" A bronzed boy with a slight Mexican accent approached him from near the hospital entrance.

Chad nodded.

He looked intrigued. "Are you visiting Sonny? I thought you guys were, like, sworn enemies."

Chad sniffed contemptuously. "As if; it's almost the opposite… This is the first time I've left her side!"

The boy laughed to himself, muttering under his breath.

Chad was suddenly wary. "Wait, you're not a reporter, are you?"

He laughed louder and shook his head. "No. I was just building up the courage to go in and speak to Sonny. I met her myself just yesterday…" He trailed off thoughtfully.

Something clicked, rather belatedly, in Chad's brain. "Are you a janitor at Condor Studios? Emilio Garcia?"

"Yeah." He looked surprised. "I didn't think anybody knew me there."

Chad sighed. He should have been pleased, but giving Sonny the boy of her dreams… It didn't sound like his cup of tea. Then again, she deserved something wonderful, and he deserved something heart-breaking.

"You weren't in the records."

Emilio acted casually. "It's a cash-in-hand kinda deal… Why? Were you looking for me?"

Chad looked down, considered lying, and then looked back up at the handsome and very tall boy in front of him. "Yes, actually. Sonny's been asking for you. She remembers meeting you, and then you… asking her out, but not her answer. Would you…?"

Emilio nodded quickly. "Of course!"

He was bouncing with enthusiasm – though less literally than Chad would have hoped, considering the coolness edge it would have given him.

Chad shrugged. "Come on then." He motioned towards the hospital doors.

Chad spotted him leaning into a blue mustang across the street and pulling out a bunch of white roses. Chad snorted. Sonny's favourites where lilies.

Emilio smiled when he reached Chad. "Ready."

Chad lead the way through the press and nodded Emilio through the guards placed for Sonny's protection. They remained mostly quiet the way there, apart from Chad mentioning that he liked Emilio's car, and Emilio saying he'd watched Chad's show once.

From first impressions, Chad decided he didn't like Emilio very much at all.

* * *

Sonny stirred to find sky blue eyes starring into her own warm brown ones, a gentle hand on her arm. She breathed a contented sigh.

Chad smiled, the sound relaxing him. "Did ya miss me?"

Sonny smiled back and replied, "Of course," but seeing the distress on his face, she added, "But, to be honest, I slept mostly."

He smirked to himself, and leant in to whisper, "I have a surprise for you."

Her quickening heartbeat due to the proximity of his warm breath blared out of the monitors around her, and she blushed. She never knew she could miss him so much, and couldn't believe she'd sent him away… She didn't even remember what it was for when he was this close.

But she knew he was just here out of guilt, and the concern on his face as he pulled away to check the machines meant nothing more than that.

"What is it, then?" She asked, attempting to distract him from her health.

He un-tensed and turned back to face her. "Your answer. Emilio Garcia is waiting outside."

Sonny tried to sit up quickly, but she was too tired to put any force into the movement, so she just shuffled into an upright position.

"He's seriously here?" She looked confused.

Chad frowned. "I thought you wanted him here?"

She shook her head slowly, thinking it through. "I just wanted to know what I said, but I guess it's okay."

She looked like she was about to say something else, but stopped herself and her mouth closed into pursed lips.

Once again confused by Sonny's personality, Chad let out a frustrated puff of air. "What is it?"

She looked up, trying to seem innocent, but she wasn't that good an actress.

"You wanted to say something else?"

Sonny started to shake her head, but seeing Chad's sceptical look changed her mind. "I was just nervous. He's somebody I… like and I look–" she motioned to her bandaged, tired body and pointed at her naked head.

Chad laughed and ignored the frustrated face she pulled at him. "You _always_ look cute."

When she remained obviously unconvinced, he reached into his backpack. "But, I had a feeling you might feel a little self conscious, so I brought you something."

He revealed a blanket he must have fetched from her room, because it was exactly like the one she had on her bed. It was handmade in Africa, thick brown wool and a number of large, multi-coloured flowers stitched in. Sonny chuckled. Her mom had given it to her when she found out she'd landed a part in So Random!.

"Thank you, Chad." She stroked it as he laid it out over her body, hiding any bandages and wires.

He smirked. "And that's not all!"  
He reached back into his backpack and this time pulled out a small bottle of perfume that she knew had been sitting on her bedside table. He spritzed it over her and it settled in a sweet smelling barrier around her.

She was about to thank him again when he held up his hand. "There's one more."

He reached once more into his backpack, this time coming out with a bag that looked like it contained hair. Remembering last time she had a package of hair, Sonny almost squirmed away, but Chad opened it and rearranged it so that she could see it was a short, well-layered, perfectly coloured, deep brown wig.

She could have cried.

"Just in case you don't believe you're always cute, and you need a little reassurance." Chad placed it delicately on her head and ran his fingers through it to neaten it all up and make sure it was positioned correctly on her soft head.

He stood back and admired her. "You look lovely."

Sonny smiled. "Chad, I–"

"Wait." He stopped her and tried to look happy, before calling to the door. "Emilio, you can come in."

Sonny had practically forgotten about him.

He entered slowly and nervously, holding the flowers in clear view, as if trying to use them as a white flag. Sonny smiled past Chad. He was just as she remembered him in their small encounter. A nice memory in a horrible day.

"Hi, Sonny." He edged his way around Chad and towards her.

She nodded politely. "Emilio." The way she said it made it sound like she was testing his name.

He laughed. "That's me."  
There was a short, awkward silence.

"So." Emilio walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed. "About a week before my Grandpa died, my Grandma covered his back in lard."

Sonny gaped.

"After that he went downhill quickly."

Sonny laughed and Emilio chuckled along with her.

"I hear you remember parts of us yesterday?" He asked when they'd stopped giggling.

Chad stifled a shudder when he thought about what Emilio meant when he said 'us'.

"Yeah." Sonny looked down bashfully. "Up until you asked me out."

They caught each other's eyes and smiled sweetly for a moment.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Emilio." He nodded and then leant around him. "Sonny."

Sonny pushed herself up. "Chad…"

But he was already gone.

* * *

Tawni felt awkward leaning across a stranger's car to look in the mirror, but there seemed to be more reporters than usual outside the hospital, which meant more photos, and if there were too many one might notice she wasn't wearing make-up. And Tawni Hart couldn't have that. Plus, the horsey thing on the grill at the front was even more awkward and useless as a mirror. It made her face look frumpy.

She was just about done putting on the cappuccino frappuccino lipstick (she'd sworn of coco moco coco until Sonny was better, and this shade was the next best thing) when she spotted a pile of So Random! stamps littered across the dashboard. It was a convertible, and, like Tawni always said, people with convertibles want passers-by to see their stuff. Like the tacky day-old roses on the back seat.

She was feeling in a good mood today. Perhaps it was because of the good weather, or the fact that she was sure she'd soon be able to use her favourite lipstick, but either way, it made her decide to thank whoever's car this was by signing something. She pulled out a Sharpie from her handbag – which she always carried around to please the hoards of fans rushing at her non-stop for an autograph.

But in the stamps, the pictures of her were too small to sign, and she didn't want her sacred scribble to touch any of the other faces. She glanced around the rest of the car. There were plenty of pictures of Sonny spotted about, meaning he was a Munroe fan, but she was determined to sign something, so she opened the glove compartment and rooted in there.

There was literally a pile of pictures of Sonny in here. Tawni sniffed. She didn't understand what people saw in that small-town hick. Sure, she was kinda pretty, funny and nice, but there are more important things, like mirrors… Which reminded her why she was looking in the glove compartment. There must be one picture of her in there.

She shuffled through them, and found a picture of Sonny standing next to a beautiful blonde girl – of course, that was Tawni – so Tawni figured the would do. She started her name:

Tawn…

She stopped halfway, trailing off with a squiggle as the pen slid off the page. Only now had she noticed that the picture was of them on their shopping trip, when Sonny was first trying on the Jimmy Choo's that had been ruined on the day of the accident. The next was of Sonny having sushi with the gang after a long day, another of her biting her lip as she waited for a cute waiter to take her order, one were Sonny was looking out of the window in her room… they went on. Finally, the picture at the bottom of the pile was signed. It was a few months back, of Sonny with a bunch of nerds at her very first annual So Random! convention.

Tawni swallowed nervously. Maybe it was just the car of a geeky paparazzo; she thought she'd better look a little more just to check. Further in there was a tin, in which Tawni found a load of things that Sonny mentioned had gone missing from her side of the dressing room, like her hairbrush and used deodorant…

People sell those things on eBay, right?

There was a paper bag in the tin that felt like it had ribbon in. Tawni daintily reached in and pulled whatever it was out of the bag, her face creased with curiosity. She examined it as closely as she dared, and dropped it immediately when realisation struck her.

It was hair. Sonny's hair.

_Oooh, creepy... S'all exciting, ain't it? Love love love._


	15. Chapter 15

_It's all getting a bit exciting now. Thanks to everyone for the support. It's nice to know people like my stories. ;D_

"She let me leave." Still leaning against the hospital room door, Chad earned himself a funny look from a passing nurse for talking to himself.

Worried she might start talking to him – something he was definitely not in the mood for – Chad pushed himself up and slowly carried his weight down the corridor, feet dragging as he went.

Appearance used to be everything to Chad Dylan Cooper, according to the rules he had to adhere to within the social bounds of being a teen heartthrob. His mother had always told him that to be a star you had to follow three rules as if they were lifestyles:

Appearances are everything

Be mean to stand out

Never fall in love and date beneath you, and nobody is good enough for you, so don't even think about marriage, young man, because it always ends in divorce. Have I ever told you the story of your father and me? I was an aspiring actress, nearing the top, when he got me knocked up and we had to get married, and then you came along. If I ever catch you thinking about doing something like that, I will scalp you myself. Now go to bed. Beauty sleep is important too.

He had followed them strictly until the day of Sonny's accidents, when his mother told him "Don't worry about her, she can go back home to Wisconsin. In the meantime, I can make this work for you. Can you still cry on demand?"

Now he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

At this point in time, he was wearing a plain tee and jeans, which were usually only allowed inside his apartment, and his hair was unkempt and a little it greasy, which was punishable. If his mother could see him now…

As he reached the end of the corridor, it struck him that he didn't know exactly where he was going. He couldn't go back to Sonny, because she had someone… special. And it didn't feel right to go home; he'd constantly be thinking about Sonny. It then struck him that he didn't have a home, anyway. He'd never felt at home in any of the houses he'd had, that is until the hospital. He felt warm and comfortable every time he passed the nurse's station. He sat in the room with Sonny and took off his shoes; he never took off his shoes, apart from bed – not even in his apartment. It was slightly disturbing, actually, that the best night's sleep he ever had was to the beeps from a heart monitor, but he understood everything here.

He finally understood that he was pretty much in love with Sonny.

* * *

Sonny bit her lip awkwardly; Emilio's eyes wandered the room, searching for something to rest on. Uneasiness washed around the room, and not a word passed between the two for a good ten minutes.

Finally, attempting to break the ice, Sonny coughed.

Emilio's wandering eyes darted back to Sonny, nerves evident. "Are you okay?"

Sonny rolled her head and flopped it back onto the pillow with a big sigh. "I am so fed up of people asking me that. I was just coughing to get your attention."

Emilio laughed nervously.

Sonny puffed a load of air out of her mouth, avoiding blowing it at his direction. The blanket, perfume and wig were great, but would it have killed Chad to have brought mouthwash? Sonny didn't know how long it had been since she'd seen a toothbrush…

Emilio ran a hand through his hair and shuffled to face her fully, a business-like expression on his face.

"Right, so I came for a reason." He took a deep breath. "I didn't know whether we knew each other well enough for me to visit, but as soon as I heard I came to the hospital. I stopped myself because I didn't want to interrupt, but I kept coming back. I _really_ like you, and–"

Before he could finish his ever-quickening speech, Sonny interrupted his efforts. "I don't remember my answer."

Emilio nodded, but his expression was blank. After a moment, he asked slowly, "What answer, exactly?"

She bit her lip gently. "I remember when we met, and most of the conversation, until you asked me out. I can't remember what _I_ said."

Emilio sighed. "So that's all it is?"

Sonny pouted and examined her hands. "I thought…"

Emilio shook his head. "No, I just thought it was something bad. I thought… well I thought you'd changed your mind."

Sonny's eyes shot up to the handsome espanic boy. "So…"

Emilio nodded, a happy sparkle glinting from his smile. "You said yes."

* * *

He'd ended up in the main reception nearest to the emergency room, just watching people walk by, hurrying to injured relatives, laughing at silly injuries. Of all the people in the world, there must be somebody here who understands what he was going through.

Somebody who knew what it was like to have a close friend hurt. Somebody who understood unrequited love. Somebody who was constantly being ridiculed by the public and the press. Somebody who was sure not to exist outside of Chad Dylan Cooper.

He ran his hand though his dirty hair, leaving it even more dishevelled than before and not caring. He noticed as he rested his head on the wall behind him just how many people were looking at him.

There was a little boy holding his mother's hand, craning his neck around an old man in a wheelchair to catch a glimpse. The old woman with the man in the wheelchair kept turning nonchalantly and resting her eyes on his recognisable face. A pair of girls, with another girl cradling her swollen and slightly bloodied arm, were giggling amongst themselves and gesturing.

Chad sighed. Perhaps this wasn't the best place to sit quietly in self pity; even as he thought this, he could see the receptionist edging towards the door to the room, eyeing him up.

He stood up and stretched, and almost everyone in the room twitched, tense to see what he was going to do. He stretched uncomfortably and looked around, deciding which way to go.

If it were a moment on a movie, the music would stop and everything would be silent as he looked back and forth down the two possible corridors. It would move slowly back to his tired, bored face and then suddenly flash to the doors.

Tawni was a fireball of blonde hair and coco moco coco lipstick, bursting through the automatic doors, almost pushing them as if they were moving too slowly. She stopped for the briefest amount of time and glanced around to gather her bearings, which was when she spotted the indecisive and slightly shocked Chad, still recoiling from his stretch.

"Chad Dylan Cooper!" Somehow she managed to sound surprised, happy, angry and concerned at the same time.

Chad furrowed his eyebrows and stepped forward, confusion layering his voice. "Tawni?"

Those who hadn't been starring at him were now, and many of the people in the reception area were literally on the edge of their seats, a look of joy and fascination on their eager little faces.

She rushed forward, concern taking precedence over her other obvious emotions. "Why aren't you with Sonny?"

Chad sighed. "She has a… date."

"With who?!?" Tawni flustered, grabbing his arms.

Worried by the look of sheer panic on her face, he spoke faster, building a bit of a pulse as he did so. "Emilio; a janitor from the studio. Why?"

Tawni bit her lip. "The stalker is in the hospital."

* * *

Sonny didn't know how to react to this news. She sighed loudly and pulled her eyebrows together as she concentrated on trying to remember that moment.

Emilio seemed eager to fill in the details. "You said that you'd love to, and then curtsied…"

Sonny looked up, and then shrugged. "Seems like something I would do…"

Emilio continued, speaking faster and more excitedly, now. "I gasped a little, because I had totally expected you to say no, politely of course, and then you asked for details, and I said something I thought would be funny about no lobsters – because I couldn't afford them and you could… Well, you forgave me for that and we decided on the Roller Ramp Restaurant because you said you'd never been to one and you really wanted to."

Sonny's heart skipped a beat as the memories suddenly came flooding back.

* * *

"_So The Roller Ramp Restaurant is supposed to be good?" Emilio's ever-so-charming smile lit his face._

_Sonny nodded excitedly. "That sounds awesome! I've never been to one, and they always make out on movies like it's the place to be for a first date, but I've never had that experience…" _

_Emilio nodded back. "How does this Friday at 7pm sound?"_

"_Great…" Sonny suddenly stopped herself, a thought occurring to her._

_Emilio noticed. "Is something wrong?"  
Sonny looked up at the handsome espanic boy that stood proudly in front of her. He was charming, kind and smart, with a humour that only she could appreciate. But… he wasn't the right guy._

_Sonny sighed. "You know… I'm sorry Emilio, but–"_

_Emilio interrupted. "I don't like buts."_

_Sonny laughed. "Well mine's pretty nice."_

_Emilio laughed nervously, but his eyes encouraged her to go on._

"…but_ I don't think I can go out with you." She smiled a weak apology._

_With a disappointed shoulder slump, Emilio asked, "Do you mind me asking why?"__  
It was odd, but only now did she realise why. "Because… I'm waiting on somebody else."_

_Emilio gave an understanding nod and muffled a short, embarrassed goodbye, encouraging Sonny to leave quickly and conserve his pride._

Sonny swallowed nervously. After the remainder of their conversation was revealed, Sonny remembered only a few things.

Firstly, there was a small argument. And then, a fight and a fall. Finally there was pain. Lots and lots of pain.

"Who's she with, Chad?"

Tawni was desperately trying to keep up with Chad, who was nearing a sprinting speed, slowed only by the people in the hallway. Apparently security weren't fast enough.

"Emilio. Janitor. I knew there was something wrong…" He bit his lip and sped forward, leaving Tawni and her heels behind.

Sonny decided to just come out with it. She had made that decision five minutes ago, and still nothing but ums and ahs had escaped her lips.

Her mouth just wouldn't let her brain drive the talking. It had put the brakes on her speech ability. It had a burst tyre and… she realised that she was over-using the driving analogy.

She always did that. One time, she was talking to a friend in Wisconsin and she started talking about frogs, but–

"I said no to you." Even as she said the words, her hands sprung up to cover her mouth, but it was too late.

Emilio glanced up from his work-time sheet, panic crossing his mind.

"What?" His voice was detached, emotionless.

Even muffled by her hands he understood what she was saying. "I changed my mind and said no."

His jaw locked, and Emilio ran a large hand over his chin. He stood up and cross the room slowly, looking very tall.

* * *

"Come on!" Chad tried barging past the bed, but an obnoxious nurse elbowed him out the way. It was the only corridor to Sonny's room and they were going the opposite way to where he needed to go. Did they _need_ to go before him?

His breathing rate was through the roof, and he tried again to get past. This time the nurse turned around and told him to be patient.

"You can get past when we're done here. There is no squeezing past this thing!" She let out a forced sigh and rolled her eyes to the relatives of the person on the bed.

This was going to take too long, but there was no other way…

Chad looked up in dread. He wasn't going to make it in time.

* * *

_Right, this is a very exciting chap, if i do say so myself. If it got you on the edge of your seat, please review. If it had you squealing, please review. If it had you hyperventilating, please review. If it made you faint, for god's sake, get to the hospital!.. and then review. ;) Thanks_

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

_I am soooooooooooooooo sorry this has taken so long to write. I got a major case of writer's block on this one, like i've never had before. We've all been there, right? anyway, enjoy. it's only short, but i felt really guilty so i decided to post it anyway. Please review:_Chad slammed his hands onto the bars surrounding the edge of the bed. "Shit!"

* * *

The nurse, patient and relatives stood around the offending bed looked up in shock. Just as the nurse was about to say something that was probably rude and unhelpful, an obvious sneer on her face, Chad interrupted, and the way he spoke instantly made them aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"Sonny Munroe's stalker is in the hospital. I _have_ to get past."

The nurse stood agape, so the patient (an aged man with little more than a blanket covering himself), now sitting up, pushed against one of the walls and slammed into the other. This just about left enough of a squeeze room for Chad to force himself through. Finally realising her duties, the nurse threw herself into the patient's room and picked up the phone to call security, looking back through the doorway in tome to see a shoeless Tawni Hart screaming down the corridor for Chad Dylan Cooper to run faster.

This was perhaps the most surreal moment of her life, and she'd worked in a hospital in Hollywood for 23 years.

"Go Chad!" Tawni stumbled along, barely managing to hold herself up as she tried to run down the side of the bed, figuring herself slim enough, but ending bouncing off either side all helter-skelter.

Chad needn't have heard her, because he was already pushing himself faster than he had ever done so before in his life. Strange, as he'd always been considered the selfish-type, but this was the hardest he'd tried at anything, even his career; he had the ability to be selfless. If nothing came of this, at least he learnt that about himself.

He barely slowed to turn the corner, careering into the wall and pushing himself off it as an extra boost of speed. He was _so_ close…

* * *

Emilio bit his lip, almost seductively. "It was worth a shot?"

It didn't sound like a firm excuse, more like he was testing out what would help him get away with it.

Sonny was suddenly nervous, which was reflected in the increase in heart rate that inconveniently beeped out of the monitor beside her.

Emilio crept forward, suddenly looking entirely unappealing and somewhat wormy. "Don't be scared, I honestly just wanted to go out with you, so you could see what I was like."

Sonny finally found her words, anger fuelling her dislike for him. "So you thought it would be a good idea to send me pictures of myself, and a lock of my hair?"

Emilio looked momentarily confused, but it was short-lived, as a second later the door burst open and Chad came hurtling in, not stopping before he'd bundled himself into Emilio and tackled him to the ground. It all happened very quickly, and Sonny had a delayed reaction.

She gasped as she saw Chad on top of Emilio, restraining him by kneeling on his chest and clamping down on his hands. She started to hyperventilate and the monitor let out a splutter of beeps.

Chad jerked his head around to see Sonny, relief flooding his face as he saw she wasn't badly hurt, at least. "Are you ok?"

With a weak smile, Sonny nodded.

Chad turned to sneer maliciously at the boy beneath him. "You're not going anywhere, and if the security here knows anything, the police are on their way."

Tawni stumbled in, relief evident on her face, which had lost its normal Tawni-glow. She spotted Chad on the floor on top of Emilio, and with a determined nod she strutted over to them and kicked Emilio straight in the crotch, eliciting a loud, unmanly squeak.

"Jerk!" And with that she headed over to Sonny's side to check on her.

"I didn't do anything, I promise! I promise!" He thrashed around as much as he could, considering the pain that was throbbing from his genitals. "Please, I didn't do anything!"

Chad snorted and spoke bitterly. "You're a freakin' stalker, man. That's definitely _something_."

Emilio started sobbing. "No-o-o-o! I'm no-o-o-ot! I'm not a stalker."

"Following her, taking pictures of her, cutting her hair…" Chad heard the clatter of people running into the bed in the hall and figured the security were coming, so this was his last chance to speak to him before he would be taken away forever. "You make me sick."

As he heard voices outside the door, Chad slammed his palm into the back of Emilio's head and sent his face smashing into the floor. To say he gave him a nosebleed was a serious understatement. Red liquid oozed out of the wound as he cried out in more pain. It had to be broken, Chad thought proudly.

The door opened and in came security guards, who immediately relieved Chad and man-handled the writhing boy out of the room, where another guard took his other arm and helped him.

"Chad?" Sonny interrupted the teen heartthrob's glares down the corridor.

He quickly moved over to her, taking her hand (the one that wasn't being strangled by Tawni's grasp.

"Yes? Are you okay, Sonny?" He asked, leaning in to run his spare hand through her hair.

Sonny nodded. His warm touch soothed her as she looked up into his light blue eyes. As they continued to stare, Chad getting subconsciously closer, they knew they were about to kiss. Even as Tawni made a noise of disgust, they smiled.

It was all over.

Chad started to lean in.

A knock on the door interrupted their intimate moment. Unwillingly, they dragged their eyes away from each other.

"Mr Dylan Cooper?" A policeman walked in, spotting Chad in his awkward pulling away action.

Chad gave him a nod. "That's me."

"Sir, we need you to come with us." He looked apologetic. "We need to get your statement about, um," he glanced at Sonny to gauge her reaction, nervous he'd upset her, "about Miss Munroe's stalker."

Chad shook his head, stating plainly, "I'm not leaving Sonny."

The policeman smiled understandingly. He had a large, kind face, but rules were rules.

"If we don't, prosecuting him will prove difficult. It really is for the best."

Chad winced, feeling actual pain knowing he'd have to leave Sonny. "I don't know…"

Sonny placed a calm hand on his. "It's fine, Chad. I have Tawni, and there are policeman at the hospital doors…"

Chad was apprehensive. "What about here? Will there be anyone here?"

The policeman slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we can't afford to put too many people on one person, now that we've caught the guy. She'll be perfectly safe."

Chad slumped into a chair, still clutching Sonny's hand.

At that moment, in perfect timing, a group of nerds walked in.

Sonny beamed. "Guys! I can't believe you made it!"

Chad eyed them suspiciously, before recognising them as being the studio technicians. Quickly, he formulated a plan.

"Hey, guys." He stood up and gave them a little wave. "Can I ask you a favour? I know I don't deserve one, but it's for Sonny."

The freakishly tall leader piped up. "Anything for Sonny."

Sonny grinned even wider, but looked at Chad confused.

"I know you're not really the type for confrontation, but I figure you've got enough combined muscle power to be a decent protective force around Sonny while I'm at the police station." He watched them carefully, judging how they were taking his plea, especially the leader. "Would you stay with her until I get back?"

The leader was nodding before he'd finished the question. "We'd cleared our schedule for the day to visit her anyway. It's no problem."  
Sonny spoke from the bed, squeezing Chad's hand gently as she did. "Thank you, Walter. You don't have to, but–"

"But," Chad finished for her, turning to face her, "They do."

Sonny sighed at him. They locked eyes again and were there for longer than they'd realised when the policeman coughed to get Chad's attention.

Chad reluctantly dropped Sonny's hand and backed away to the door as the policeman led the way out.

He didn't say goodbye, just: "Be safe, Sonny Munroe."

She sent back a: "Behave, Chad Dylan Cooper."

And the pair smiled at each other as he departed.

Tawni let out a moan, and – despite the fact that she'd been clung to her arm for at least ten minutes, cutting the circulation off to her arm – Sonny looked up in surprise, because she'd completely forgotten that she was there.

"You guys are getting too lovey-dovey. It sickens me." She flicked her hair and loosened the grip on her arm.

Sonny instinctively wiggled her fingers to get the blood flowing.

Walter moved to where Chad had been. "How are you feeling? Sorry we couldn't have gotten here sooner."

Sonny laughed. "Don't be silly. You came, and you really didn't need to. Just being here is more than enough."

He smiled and patted her hand.

* * *

They had been talking nerd for an hour, and Tawn had had enough.

She stood up, dropped Sonny's hand, and strode out, all in one swift movement, throwing a casual "goodbye" behind her and muttering about finding somewhere that sold some decent jo.

The technicians looked to Sonny for an explanation.

Sonny shrugged. "I can't begin to describe Tawni's thought process. Just accept that she is the way she is and be done with it. I have, and it's made life a lot easier."

They laughed easily, comfortable now that the harsh blonde was gone.

Walter grabbed Sonny's hand suddenly, his sweaty palm making her uncomfortable. "Finally, she's gone."

Sonny looked up in confusion, wriggling her hand slightly so that it wasn't so unpleasant, but without hurting his feelings. "Why?"  
He chuckled. "So I can do this."

He leant across the bed towards her; limps puckered awkwardly, his nose pulled back and eyes squinting. Altogether, not an attractive look.

Sonny tried to wiggle backwards into her pillow, but he reached her nonetheless and planted a wet one on her mouth before pulling back with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Sonny looked up. "What was that, Walter? I don't understand?"

He looked incredulous. "What's not to understand? I'm your boyfriend."

* * *

_Yeah, so i'm back n'everything. Exciting stuff, huh? what's going on, right? Yeah? so review!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Hey hey, soz it's been so long, and that the length of these chaps are so higgildy piggildy and all. Anyways, hopes yous enjoy. Please read and review._

* * *

"I did it for love, Sonny." Walter put his hand on her waist, and Sonny pushed it off.

She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it.

Sonny frowned. "What do you mean, Walter?"

She hadn't noticed before she spoke, but she was crying. The tears rolled down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away.

Walter smiled, attempting to be sweet or dazzling or something, but instead he just looked creepy. "I love you Sonny! I heard that you'd forgotten everything, but I didn't think you'd forget our love. Don't you remember on the staircase?"

Sonny shook her head slowly, unsure about how much of this was true. And then she remembered.

_Sonny paused on the other side of the door to the staircase. She felt really guilty for putting Emilio down like that. Maybe she should have given him a chance…_

_Well, it was too late now. Changing her mind again would just make her look flaky; and she didn't want him to see her that way. It would be worse than the rejection._

_So, she carried on to go down the staircase. _

"_Sonny!" The group of three technicians that Sonny had spent many hours entertaining in their office were walking up the other way._

_She smiled. "Hey, guys. How's it going?"_

_Walter, the most confident, leader-figure of the three answered. "Not so good. It seems the people that run this place think that and Ethernet is something you use to catch the ether bunny."_

_The three burst into fits of snorts and guffaws that only a group of true geeks could pull off._

_Sonny laughed too, partially with them and partially at them (she felt bad for the latter). "I love you–"_

_Before she could finish saying 'I love you guys, you make me laugh so much', Walter interrupted her, a desperate look on his face._

"_I love you too!" _

_He rushed forward and started to make an attempt to kiss her, but Sonny held her hands on his chest to stop him. She had a sincere, apologetic smile on her face._

"_I'm sorry, Walter, but…" She bit her lip. "I meant platonically. Like friends."_

_Walter didn't seem down heartened. "No, you do love me. I knew it all along, didn't I?" _

_He turned to the other two and they nodded their heads._

_He seemed proud. "And Emilio thought the only way to win your heart was to change himself. Ha, I just have to be myself and she loves me."_

_He tried to pull her closer to his body, put she shoved away. _

"_What? What about Emilio?" She shook her head in confusion._

_Walter shrugged. "Back when you first joined, and we met at the So Random! convention. He left the technician station to bulk up and become a janitor. He thought that was the only way to your heart. Petty fool."_

_Walter walked towards her again._

_Sonny took a few steps back. "No, Walter. I'm sorry, but I really don't love you."_

_Walter frowned. "But what about my gifts?"_

_Sonny's face was a picture. _

"_What gifts?" She asked warily._

_Walter smirked. "The card and all of your pictures. Plus, the hair from…"_

_Sonny was already hurrying down the stairs._

Sonny blinked and awoke from her reverie. "I explained to you, Walter, I do not love you."

Walter shook his head and pouted at her. He ran a hand across her forehead and pulled some hair out of her face.

"Of course you do, silly." He beamed. "You just forgot."

Shocked by his self-denial, Sonny smacked his hand away, angry. "But now I remember; I told you that I _do not_ love you! And I remember that you're my stalker!"

"No," Walter smirked, "I love you. I'm not your stalker." He looked at her like she was just confused, and explained carefully. "It's not stalking when it's true love."

With a nod, Sonny argued, "Yes it is!"

"No," He gave her another pitying look, "It isn't. One may argue that the dictionary definition would state otherwise, but it is in fact a matter of ethics over the science of sociology. I suppose that what you say is correct, but so is what I say. Life is not ones and zeros. You taught me that." He added as an after thought, "Which just proves that you love me even more!"

Sonny shook her head. "But I don't love you! And there's no way you could love me, either, because you don't know me all that well."

Walter sighed, "It was love at first sight."

Sonny rolled her head back; there would be no getting through to him. She eyed the call button, but Walter spotted this.

He clamped down on her hands and one of his cronies crept forward and moved it out of her reach. The pair had stayed quiet at the back of the room, getting some sort of perverted pleasure out of watching the whole interaction. Sonny shuddered when his hand brushed against hers as he backed to his previous position.

Walter tutted. "I see the memory loss has severely hindered the progress we made in our relationship. I see that I'm going to have to remind you."

He reached for one of the vases that adorned the table set aside for her well-wishers' gifts, and tossed it awkwardly from hand to hand. His attempt at nonchalance left much to be desired.

"I'm really very sorry, but I see no other options."

Walter lifted the vase over his head and the next thing Sonny saw was black.

* * *

Chad strutted out of the police station. It felt like a long time since he'd felt confident enough with himself to strut.

But he was certain that his answers would keep Emilio in prison for a long time, and he could finally relax with Sonny. He could finally _be _with her, in mind and body; before distraction had played the key part in his thoughts and actions, but now…

He made his way to the hospital at peace.

* * *

Sonny woke up with a damp forehead, pain rocketing through her brain. She flinched as a drop of water smacked onto the already wet area, shooting more pain through her skull.

She forced her eyes open and realised that somebody had turned off the light. It took a moment for her to focus on anything, with the throbbing and dropping of water on her head and darkness… That's when she noticed that she wasn't in a hospital anymore. The high ceiling and metal rafters suggested a warehouse of some sort, and the dark, damp conditions meant it was probably abandoned. The chances of anybody finding her were slim to none.

A voice pierced her ears, accenting the ache in her brain, through the dark. "It's Chinese water therapy. I thought it might help you remember everything."

Sonny turned her face as far towards the sound as she could, but she was strapped down. Another drop hit her forehead.

She let out a frustrated huff and snapped, "It's called Chinese water torture! This will never help!"

Walter sounded sheepish. "Oh… Well it couldn't hurt…"

Sonny groaned, "Torture! The point of torture is _to_ hurt!"

With an audible snap of his teeth together, Sonny heard him pick up something heavy. Sonny knew what was coming, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to get out of this one. There are only so many close-shaves a person can have before you finally lose.

She just about saw the swing of something in the dark, and then she was unconscious.

* * *

_Ta for reading, hope you liked it. Reviews are appreciated! Ly_


	18. Chapter 18

_Has anyone else noticed that writing and reading about a couple you want to get together is so much less satisfying when (SPOILER, in case you haven't watched it, skip this paragraph…) they actually do get together? _

_So that's why it's taken so long for me to write this. Plus, I've got another Channy story brewing, so keep an eye out. And, um, I'm in Spain right now, so appreciation for my total awesomeness on completing this in the SUN is warranted, i think. Jk, jk._

_So, yeah. Read and review, playse!

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_

Chad went straight back to the hospital. He wasn't worried about Sonny any more; the doctors said she was on the way to recovery and Emilio was out of the way. However, he had realised that now she was safe, he had no reason to feel guilty, apart from maybe for putting her through all that, but she was strong and there's no way it would slow her down in life and stuff (though he did hate that he kept brushing it off because she couldn't exactly remember it).

So now, he figured her could put things right. Everything could finally work out for Sonny. And for him. And, maybe, for him and Sonny… together.

He smiled at that thought. He'd brushed it aside before, but now he could finally see that they were meant to be together, and he was sure Sonny felt the same. And even if she didn't, what could be between them was too good to pass on the opportunity, just because he was afraid of rejection.

As he reached the corridor, he shook his head, thinking of the irony. For years he'd been scared that some girl he'd date would rope him into a commitment, and now he was scared The Girl would refuse him one. Laughing lightly to himself, he opened the door quietly – in case she was sleeping.

She'd been through so much, just today with the Emilio-jerk-stalker-guy, let alone everything that had happened over the past few days. Had it really only been that long? A few days. He leant his head round the corner to see an empty room.

He smiled wider. Even better, Sonny was feeling so well that she could go to the toilet, or for a walk. Chad headed back out, closing the door behind him, glancing up and down the hall to see if he'd missed them.

No doubt the technicians (long gone were the days when he referred to them as nerds; now he felt towards them something he never thought possible for anyone, let alone them: respect) had formed a protective circle around her, dutifully following his instructions of protection. Not that she needed it anymore or hopefully ever again. Chad would have let out a content sigh at this thought, had he been a girl.

Chad made his way towards the large patient toilets he knew to be around the corner at the end of the corridor, on the right. There he found no nerds, and an unlocked and empty toilet.

He frowned slightly, though not through unhappiness or anything, but in thought. There was no way, in comparison to all the bad feelings he'd had recently, that he could ever feel unhappy again. He was sure.

He wandered, mostly aimlessly, through the halls of the hospital floor, looking calmly for Sonny. Sonny, the girl he loved. Yes… love.

He spotted Tawni heading towards him, all bleary eyed, from the waiting room. She was carrying a half empty mug of coffee, sniffing the way you only do after a deep sleep is rudely interrupted by, say, a nurse who needed to hoover under her chair, and was all like "I'm sorry, but I need to get there" and it sounded all bitchy and shit.

Tawni yawned and ignored Chad as she walked past towards Sonny's room.

Chad smirked. They'd always had a feud, and despite that over the previous few days Chad had grown to realise he liked her. She was way too much like him for him to not like her, if that made sense.

"Tawni!" He called after her.

Tawni spun around, acting half-heartedly like she hadn't seen him in the first place. "Oh, hi Chad. I didn't see you."

Even as she said this, he voice layered with insincerity, she was turning to carry on the way she'd been going.

Chuckling to himself, Chad jogged to catch her up. "I don't suppose you've seen Sonny out for a walk? I was going to check the waiting room in case she'd gone to find you, but…" he gestured to her so that she got his point.

"Sonny's walking?" She tried to sound blasé about it, but it was obvious she cared a great deal about this huge step in Sonny's recovery.

For the umpteenth time, Chad marvelled at how good a friend Tawni was, and how well Sonny had wheedled her way into Tawni's apparently untouchable heart.

"Yeah, I figured. She's been out a while though." He noticed to himself this as he said it. He'd been wandering the halls for at least ten minutes, and for a first-time outing after the accident (_wince_) it could be too much of a strain. "I was just thinking she should probably rest soon, and I can't find her."

Tawni thought for a moment, before realisation covered her face. "Knowing Sonny, the nerds probably got hungry and she went with them to the canteen to get some food, because they would say they wouldn't leave her alone. She's so damn giving." She let out a disgusted snort.

Chad chuckled again. He wasn't used to the sound. Usually he'd only ever laugh at other people, and then it was a sneering sort of laugh. Seriously, how did everyone _not_ hate him, like _really_ hate him?

Anyway…

They went in silence (apparently their tolerance for one another only stretched to subjects concerning Sonny) to the canteen, on the floor below where Sonny was staying. When they got there, though, the room was empty apart from an old man slowly drinking soup around his drip line and a couple making googly eyes two table away from him over a smoothie with two straws.

The pair exchanged a glance, concern edging into the corners of their thoughts. They seemed to simultaneously brush it aside, though, because they each knew there was nothing to worry about. Sonny was out of harms way, both medically and stalker-wise, and she had a group of technicians looking out for her. It was probably just a little bit of paranoia; understandable, considering recent happenings.

"Maybe the nurses know?" Tawni suggested, begrudgingly realising that she would have to go and talk to the nurse who had woken her up, and she may not be in the kind of mood that would promote cooperation.

Chad nodded, and took the lead this time, unconsciously speeding up as they made their way back upstairs.

The nurses didn't know.

"A group of doctors said they were taking her for some tests while she was asleep. They said that you already knew, so there was no point telling you…"

She seemed to have only just realised that they hadn't known, and given what had taken place around Sonny, she realised she should have been more vigilant. The two teenagers in front of her apparently agreed.

She checked the system, and sure enough, there were no tests scheduled for a Sonny Munroe.

Chad, trying and failing to remain calm, headed to the nearest security station, which he simultaneously fortunately and unfortunately knew was at the end of the hall, to the left, and two doors down on the right hand side of the corridor. Tawni was right behind him, but at this point he had forgotten she was there. Only when she asked what he was doing did he remember.

"I'm trying to keep my cool, Tawni, but I just don't think it's worth the risk. I'm going to get them to check the building for her. She can't have gotten far without Walter and the technicians noticing, right?" He'd said her name, but really he was talking to himself, figuring out what he knew so he could work things out if necessary.

The security guard quickly sent out the order to check cameras, halls, and rooms for Sonny Munroe. Because of all the hoo-ha about Emilio, they all knew that this could happen, so the message that she was nowhere in the hospital came back quickly.

Chad went numb and jumped into action at the same time.

Tawni clattered down the hallway in her high heels as he barrelled back to the room. The same nurse that had held up the corridor with a gurney the last time he'd been rushing to Sonny's rescue saw him coming and plastered herself to the wall knowingly.

Chad was back inside Sonny's room before he knew it. Why had it seemed to take so long last time? He scoured the room for any kind of evidence that might help him, coming up short, while at the same time dialling Walter's number on his cell phone.

It rang twice before he was cut off.

He furrowed his eyebrows and tried again, to the same end. Next, he called Sonny's phone. The same thing happened as with Walter's, and it fell into place. How had he been so blind?

Tawni was standing in the doorway, obviously as numb as Chad, this time with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"The pictures…" Chad blinked at his own stupidity.

"Wha–" She started, but Chad cut her off before she had a chance to even ask him what he was talking about.

Chad looked up at Tawni. "There were pictures in the technicians office, all over the walls, of Sonny. I'd pushed it aside because of all the stalker stuff; I thought it was Emilio…"

Tawni looked confused. "It wasn't Emilio?"

Chad shook his head. "Kinda, but not really. It was Walter and his minions… I can't believe I didn't see it!"

He dialled the police, on the private number they'd given him in case of emergencies concerning Sonny and her stalker.

"Hello, Chad?" The answer was almost immediate.

"Emilio's not that stalker." Chad tried to keep it short and sweet as he headed out of Sonny's hospital room, on his way out of the hospital. "She's been taken by the technicians at Condor Studios, one of them is named Walter, sorry, I don't know his last name. I have to find her. Just trust me when I tell you these things."

He hang up and pressed the elevator button for the underground parking, Tawni hot on his heels. Actually, she was ripping of the heels on her heels, so she could better keep up.

"Where we going?" She asked, out of breath from the dash to the exit.

Chad was too pumped full of adrenaline to be out of breath at this point. "To Condor Studios, the technicians department. We need to find out where they've got her."

This was the worst feeling in the world. Before, while there was still the dread of the unknown (would she be okay, where and who was the stalker…), at least Sonny was still there, in reach. Now, not only did he have no idea what was going on, or what was going to happen, but he didn't have Sonny in front of him for comfort. She was out there somewhere, probably scared and hurt.

* * *

Sonny was so fed up of this. How many times had she been in mortal peril this week? Like, loads of times.

Now that Walter had stopped breathing into her face, Sonny began to wonder whether it was safe to open her eyes and gather some knowledge about the warehouse that may help her later escape. She carefully listened to her immediate surroundings, gauging if it was safe to do exactly that.

A phone rang in the distance – not hers, though – and she wondered who it could be. It cut off quickly, though, so it must be somebody who could help her. Of course. A second later it rang again. Maybe the same person? Persistent… It cut off in the same amount of time, so probably.

Then, from the same area, she heard her phone ring.

To the average person, Sonny's ringtone sounds like a cow mooing. To Sonny, it was a different moo for each person. Tawni's mooing had an inkling of delicate cowbells in the background. Her mom's mooing was shorter, and perhaps more stern (she couldn't be sure, of course – she didn't speak cow – but she felt it sounded that way, and it fitted her mom). Most importantly, Chad's mooing sounded full of itself for the first moo and gentler for the second. Sonny heard two moos ring through the warehouse. Firstly, it sounded full of itself. Then it sounded gentle. Sonny sat bolt upright, headache and proximity to creeps be damned.

She somehow managed to slip the knot around her left arm, and undo the one on her right. Apparently, the technicians had misjudged her strength, thinking she'd only need those to hold her back. Pah.

She quickly looked around, seeing that she was in the open area of the warehouse, and that the others – who, by the way, were now running as fast as their spindly legs would allow towards her – had been hold up in the office in the corner of the space.

Sonny saw a door on the opposite side of the room, hopefully unlocked and to freedom, but knowing her luck. Nevertheless, Sonny moved as fast as she could to the door, but before she knew what was happening, Walter – his repulsive scent of a mixture of body odour and bad cologne were unmistakable (and to think, she used to think that was cute) – grabbed her by the waist. He yanked her backwards with more force than she could resist, and the pair tumbled to the floor.

When did weedy Walter become so strong? Then again, it was probably just Sonny being a girl, and it might have something to do with the fact that her vision was starting to fade away at the edges and slowly turn black.

The last thing she saw was Walter's disturbing smirk, and – once again – she was out cold. Another thing that was happening way too often recently.

* * *

_Sonny turned the corner of the flight of stairs, and checked behind her to see if Walter was following. Thankfully, he wasn't._

_She slowed and sighed to herself. It seemed she had attracted far too many men, and none of them the right one. She sighed again._

"_Sonny!" Walter was rushing after her after all._

_She stopped and span around to face him. "Walter, I'm really not interested…"_

_Walter shook his head. "No, see, when you said that you loved me it was what is called a Freudian slip. It's when you accidentally say what you really mean, even if you don't consciously know that you mean it! So, you do actually love me!" As he spoke, he placed a hand on her arm._

"_No." Sonny said firmly. "I really don't. I love Chad."_

_Even as she said it, she surprised herself. She said it again, to test and see if it was true. "I love Chad." It felt right in her mouth._

_Walter let out an unexpected yell. "That jerk gets everything! I thought you were better than that, to fall for it all!"_

_He let out a grunt as he shoved her in the chest._

_Sonny stumbled down a couple of steps and looked up at him angrily. "Don't Walter, we're on the stairs. I could have fallen!"_

"_So?" He had both hands clenched into tight fists at his sides._

_Walter was too angry for any good to come of what was going on, so Sonny just walked away._

_Apparently, though, Walter wasn't done. He grabbed Sonny's hair and pulled her back. She gasped and slipped on the step painfully._

_Walter kicked out wildly with his foot, following her as she slipped slowly down the stairs, all the while gripping her hair._

_Walter spoke between kicks. "I really love your hair, you know. It's by far your best feature. That's why I sent it so kindly to you, you know, in that gift you rejected?"_

_They were on the next floor there, headed towards the next flight of stairs. In a desperate attempt to stop the pain each kick caused, Sonny twisted in Walter's grip and lunged at him. He batted her away, but accidentally pushed a little too hard, sending her backwards down the stairs._

_To Sonny, this part seemed to go in slow motion. How could she have so badly misinterpreted Walter, and the technicians? She felt that all this could only be her own fault._

_As she went, she saw Walter fall backwards into the oncoming mail cart, on which Josh was riding, his hair covering his face. It barged into him, and the whole thing went back into the hallway on the other side of the door, while Walter headed in the opposite direction. Surely, though, he'd see Walter in time to understand what he'd done? Right?_

_The next thing Sonny knew was extreme pain, and then blackness._

_Walter stumbled forwards, stopped only from falling down the stairs after Sonny by the other technicians. He stared after her. Before they knew it, they were looking down on her mangled body, blood already falling out of deep wounds all over her body…_

_They stared for a moment, but heard footsteps approaching fast. _

"_Let's go." Walter said quickly, and while the technicians exchanged a wary look, the three did as he said._

_They ran up the stairs and out of view, just as Chad came up the stairs, and Josh came from the door through which he'd fallen back out of.

* * *

_

Sonny awoke to find Walter tightening the bonds around her wrists. She felt another of the techies tying up her ankles.

She stared at Walter through hazy eyes. He glared down at her.

"Why won't you just love me?" He clenched his jaw.

Sonny continued to stare up at him. "You were the one who pushed me down the stairs! It wasn't an accident…"

* * *

_So, yeach, reviews please? I need them, i think, because - well, my toe hurts, so that... yeh. :D plus, this was, like, almost full length! uh-huh, uh-huh... REVIEW_


	19. Chapter 19

_My dad was reading the story over my shoulder, and he wants me to credit the word 'crashed' to him. Roll eyes. Read and review, because I wrote this in two hours, while watching Malcolm in the Middle. A new record. :D_

_Enjoy, mes amis.

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Walter groaned. "Well I _was_ hoping that your selective memory would omit that part. I am sorry about that. I suppose honesty is the best way to start a relationship."

Sonny snapped. "We're not in a damn relationship! I don't love you, you're not my boyfriend, and, frankly, you're a total creep! There is no way in hell I could or would ever even like you, especially after this!"

Walter clenched his jaw. "I forgive you for your outburst, but you're going to feel stupid when you remember."

Sonny shook her head. "I remember everything! I know exactly what happened, and what you did, you… you jerk!"

Walter looked like he'd been slapped, and his face went bright red. "Take that back Sonny."

Sonny shook her head stubbornly, squeezing her lips shut as if that made it less likely that she would apologise.

Walter sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand, leaning forward on Sonny's (rock hard, and extremely uncomfortable, by the way) bed. "Well, I did hurt you, so I think you deserve a few jabs at me."

Sonny couldn't believe him, he was just… there were no words to describe what he was. "No, Walter, I deserve to shove you backwards down the stairs and nearly kill you!"

"Look, I feel really bad about that." Walter said, frustrated. "Could you just let it go? I said sorry!"

Sonny was totally exasperated. Apparently, the plan of trying to convince Walter that he was delusional was a failure. She dropped her head back onto the hard surface, wincing as she did.

It seemed, however, that while the knock was painful, it was also useful. An idea had just popped out of nowhere in her aching brain.

Sonny gasped dramatically, hoping to attract the attention of the now retreating technicians. Walter paused, but carried on.

Sonny had to think quickly. It was lucky that she just so happened to be an actress who was good(ish) at thinking on her feet. Time for some improv.

"Walter, it's all come back to me!" She exclaimed, loud enough so that he would hear, but gently, so that it had an edge of sincerity.

Walter froze, but didn't turn around. "What came back to you?" His voice was hard; suspicious.

Sonny carried on cautiously, careful not to overdo it. "After you pushed me, I saw you above me."

He didn't move still. "What?"

Sonny sighed. "You told me I loved you, and I remember, now, I remember that I finally realised that I love you too! All this time, I didn't see, but finally, _finally_, I understand. I _do_ love you!"

Walter span slowly to face her, the other technicians already curious in the background. "You remember that?"

Sonny closed her eyes for effect. "I remember it. I love you, so much!"

Walter was silent and still for a moment, but he seemed convinced, and made his way forward. "I told you, didn't I?"

Sonny nodded enthusiastically. "And I am so sorry that I didn't believe you."

"I…" Walter was quiet in thought for a second. "I think I need proof, now, that you remember that that is what happened."

Sonny nodded. "I understand, but how can I do that?"

Walter smiled, apparently thinking he looked charming. "Kiss me."

Sonny held back a gag, feeling bile rise up to the back of her throat. She thought for a moment, but realised there was no way of getting out of this without giving the game away. She'd have to power through. Plus, she was sure she could use it to her advantage, somehow?

"Okay." She talked slowly, fearing that her gag reflex may play up as she got an image of what was about to happen in her head. "Come here."

Walter leant in earnestly and pressed his lips hard to hers. Sonny let out a disgusted grunt, but disguised it as a moan of pleasure. He seemed convinced.

Sonny smiled weakly as he stood up straight, looking dreamily into space. "Hold me?"

Walter nodded down at her, the sheer euphoria of the situation evident in everything he did. He wanted to believe that she loved him so bad, that he didn't even see when Sonny swallowed up the sick that she had just vomited up into her mouth.

He tried to hug her, but she cried out in pain as his fingers dug into all the wrong places. Walter jumped back.

"Sorry, my love!" God, he was creepy. "I'll untie you so we can hold each other properly." One of the technicians coughed over his shoulder, and Walter turned to snap at him. "Don't be so suspicious, I know she's telling the truth."

Sonny nodded and smiled at him, trying to look honest. This was working well; she'd barely had to even try! For a genius (and she couldn't help but admit that – given his record at the studios – he was very smart), he was pretty stupid. He couldn't have _any _street know-how.

Once she was completely free, she massaged her wrists and swung her legs off the table. There was no way she could escape; she knew that. So, her only option was to get a message to somebody who could help. And for that, she needed a phone.

Knowing she'd have to carry on the charade for as long as possible, she wrapped her arms around Walter with as much force as she could muster, and felt him grin into the skin of her shoulder. She hadn't noticed before, but she wasn't wearing very much.

She still had the hospital gown on, and a pair of comfortable underwear that Tawni had given her when Chad was off showering and changing. But apart from that, she was scantily clad.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear, secretly just hoping he'd stay in this position and not go to grope any of her naked parts, because she may not have been so willing to pretend if that were the case.

He did stay like that, sighing loudly. Over his shoulder, Sonny could see the office that the technicians had been staying in. She could just about make out a desk and some shapes that could be chairs. Apart from that it looked bare, so when she had a moment, the desk would be the place to go for a phone. She looked up, pretending that she was stretching herself into him, and saw the lights above them. They were similar to lights you'd find on a set, and she wondered if that's where the technicians had got them. There was a breeze coming from the door that she'd been heading to, and she smelt salt water on it, so they must be near the ocean.

All of this would be useful information that she could pass to whoever she called, so the only problem now was how she would get an opportunity to get away from Walter and his cronies. It hit her just as quickly as her last idea had. God, she was good.

"Walter, I'm quite cold and a bit uncomfortable being this naked…" She glanced at the other technicians, "Maybe could I get changed in that room over there?"

Walter nodded as he followed the direction her finger was pointing with his eyes. "Sure, my darling, go ahead. I think there are some of my clothes in one of the drawers. You can borrow it, and I think that would be kind of sexy."

He whispered the last word, and guffawed to himself. Sonny laughed along with him.

She kissed him on the cheek and made her way slowly to the office. When she got there, she looked back and saw the technicians muttering to Walter, who was listening carefully – by the looks of it – his eyebrows pulled together.

Sonny closed the door behind her and quickly looked around the room for a key. Luckily, there was one on the desk, and she shoved it into the lock and turned it until it clicked.

"Don't lock it, Sonny, my love." Walter's voice was getting nearer, and it wouldn't be long until he figured out what she was up to.

Sonny grabbed the nearest chair and shoved it under the door handle, hoping to further delay their entrance if at all possible.

"What are you doing in there, Sonny?" Walter was trying to sound calm, but the stress in his voice was pretty obvious.

Desperately, Sonny rummaged around in the drawers until she found one that had a number of wires and cables, underneath which she saw several phones. She heard Walter grunt as he tried and failed to open the door. Immediately, she recognised her own and dragged it out, the wires and other phones making a clattering on the floor as she did.

"Sonny!" All trace of patience in Walter's tone was gone, as he was now banging on the door and wiggling the door handle. "Let me in, now!"

Sonny's hands were shaking as she unlocked the phone and opened the caller log. The person who had called was Chad, and – even with Walter's voice in her ear, and the given surroundings – Sonny couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips.

She pressed redial and held the phone to her ear, and waited as it connected. It was half-way through the second ring when Chad answered.

"Sonny?" His voice was tense; he'd clearly noticed she was missing.

"Chad!" Her voice was surprisingly shaky. "I need help, I… I…"

She felt a tear fall down her cheek, and Walter kicked the banging up a notch when he heard her speak, yelling louder for her to open the door.

"Stay calm, Sonny." Chad sounded relieved, but not at all calm. "Where are you?"

Sonny's crying was reaching her voice, now. "Walter and the technicians…" Sob. "They…" Sob. "They took me from the hospital. He thinks I love him, Walter thinks…" Sob. "And he keeps kissing, and…" Sob. "And touching…" Sob. "And Walter pushed me down the stairs, Chad, it wasn't an accident, and it definitely not you fault, so you should stop wo–"

"Sonny." Chad interrupted, sounding upset himself. "Where are you?"

Sonny shook her head. "I don't know. It's a warehouse somewhere, near the ocean? I can smell the ocean… and they maybe got lights delivered here, there are–" She let out a scream.

A piece of hospital-esque equipment crashed through the window, sending glass flying through the room.

Chad shouted through the phone. "Sonny, I'm going to find you. I will find you!"

Sonny gasped as Walter came climbing through the window, seeing red. She dropped the phone as Walter picked up the chair that was under the door handle and swung it at her head.

* * *

Chad held the phone to his ear, listening carefully. Once the ringing in his ears caused by the loud clash of the phone being dropped had, he heard Sonny yell out as Walter hit her, and then her body crumple to the floor next to the phone. There was a rustle on the other end, and then Chad was listening to Walter's heavy, raspy breathing.

"I'm coming to get her, Walter," he spat her name, "And you will pay for everything that you have done."

An attempt at a chuckle came through the receiver, and Chad winced when Walter's voice hit his eardrum. "You can try, CDC, but Sonny's mine. Love this strong cannot be stopped by anything."

Chad started to argue, but the line went dead.

His hand shook for a few moments, but he didn't allow himself to freak out completely. Nevertheless, Tawni saw the panic on his face and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

In her best compassionate and caring voice, Tawni gave Chad a few needed words. "We'll find her, Chad."

Chad locked eyes with her, seeing only honesty.

And then, he jumped into action. The technicians' office was completely cluttered and unorganised. He didn't know how that got anything done.

All he'd found so far was a huge amount of binary code and a pile of receipts from studio sets. Now he at least knew that they were ripping the studio off on the price of locations.

He glanced at the places the studio paid to film. A beach hut in Barbados, a private plane, a warehouse… Chad knew for a fact that the studio hadn't filmed in any of these places. If they still worked here – and there was no way that they still could – Chad would definitely…

Chad looked at the receipt again. A warehouse. He checked the address, and it was near the sea.

Tawni leant over his shoulder. "Is that… Could that be where?"

Chad nodded, standing up and grabbing his jacket as he made his way to the door. Tawni quickly followed.

"Have you found here?" She asked desperately.

Chad nodded again. "Yes. We're going to save Sonny."

* * *

_Love to all reviewers. Serious amounts of love. I need the hit!_


	20. Chapter 20

_Reading the prev chap, I just realised how many mistakes I made. Shocking. Also, somebody asked if this story was just going to be more chaps or a continuing story, and the answer is just a few more chaps. I don't think I'll carry on with this story line; I don't want to wear it too thin, and it's already getting a bit stretched. So, enjoy it while it lasts I guess._

_Anyway, new chap, excitement. Read and review, please.

* * *

_

Tawni crouched down beside Chad, desperately stretching her neck to try and see what Chad was looking at.

They were crouched behind an old abandoned car opposite the address they'd discovered. Chad had parked his car around the corner so they couldn't see it. He told Tawni to stay in the car, so – of course – she was hot on his heels.

Why weren't the police here yet? Chad cursed himself for only remembering to tell them a minute before they'd arrived, when the whole process was slowed as Tawni had to relay his message, because Chad was driving. If anything happened to her before the police got there… Chad had to get her out.

He stared at the cold, hard wall that separated him from Sonny, and tried for a second to see through it. Apparently, though, his superpowers were yet to kick in.

Though, in his staring, he had spotted a door on the far left corner of the warehouse exterior, and it appeared to be the only access on this side of the building…unless he decided to go through the roof, but that wouldn't help anyone, because he would inevitably crash to the floor and break something… Nope, that wouldn't help.

Tawni seemed to spot the door at the same time as him. "Are… are we gonna go in?"

Chad shook his head. "The police said to wait, didn't they?"

Tawni nodded slowly.

Chad nodded back. "Then you wait here." He stood up quickly and started for the door, hoping that Tawni would just accept it and stay put.

Of course, "I don't think so. One, you're not going in there alone, and two, I am not waiting out here." And he could hear the click of her heels following him.

Chad turned and put his hands on Tawni's arms, holding her still so he could look in her eyes. "It would honestly be better if you stayed here. They'd think I was alone, but I'd actually have back-up, and you can keep an eye out for the police." She opened her mouth to argue, so Chad quickly added a clause. "I'll make you a deal. Stay here, and if I don't come out in ten minutes, follow me in."

Tawni thought for a moment, and then relented with a sigh and headed back to the abandoned car to hide.

Chad turned back to the warehouse and gathered his nerves, hoping the adrenaline pumping through his veins would be enough to get him through this.

* * *

Sonny still hadn't woken up. Walter was starting to worry.

How were they supposed to be together forever if she was unconscious half of the time?

"Sonny?" He shook her back and forth, but she didn't respond.

She was back on the table they'd been using as a bed, tied now around the wrists, ankles, waist and neck, to make sure she could never escape. Walter grunted in frustration and slapped her cheek a little, but still, nothing.

"Damn it." He shoved the table so hard it tilted on two legs momentarily, Sonny balancing precariously, before it fell with a loud clang to the floor.

Walking back to the office Sonny had made her call from – swearing angrily as he remembered the office no longer held any privacy because of her actions – Walter decided to write some lines of binary code that, when sent in an email, would spell 'Sonny I love you' in glittery letters.

Chad pulled the door handle slowly down, praying for it to be unlocked. By some form of sheer luck, it was, and in his joy at this small achievement, he hurriedly swung the door open, forgetting just how old the building was. It creaked louder than any of the prop-creaky-doors he'd used in any of his television films. TV is very misleading.

Cringing, Chad decided rushing through this next part would probably be best. He slipped in and allowed the door to close slowly behind him. As he entered the spacious area, he was hit by a wave of sound that was some sort of loud rap, coming from an office in the corner. Hoping this noise had covered his entrance, Chad relaxed, scoping out the room.

There was a whole load of clutter, a lot of which was covered in pictures of Sonny, with hearts drawn around her face in every one. Chad shivered.

There was so much Sonny all over the place that it took him three sweeps to realise she wasn't there, though he did notice a metal table that was covered in a thin white sheet, surrounded by chairs and small tables with what could be medical equipment, like scalpels and needles, placed on top.

He walked quietly over, keeping a close eye on the office as he did; the window was smashed open (he tried not to think that this was probably from where Sonny had called him) and they could see right out. Spotting him would be as easy as turning their heads.

This did mean, however, that Chad could see _them_ too. They seemed to either be having simultaneous epileptic fits from the music or dancing. Chad moved closer, hoping for some kind of clue as to Sonny's whereabouts. As he reached the edge of the office, crouching below the bottom of the window to stay out of sight, the music shut off suddenly, leaving his ears ringing.

Walter – the only voice of the three technicians Chad recognised – spoke up. "Why did you turn it off?" He sounded strained.

A soft, almost feminine voice answered, a permanent nervous tone layered in the words. "It's not working, and it's just a lot of noise."

"Yeah?" Walter retorted. "Well, Sonny likes it, and if anything is going to wake her up, it's going to be dancing in my arms to our favourite music."

Another, almost identical but not quite, voice was added to the argument. "You've never listened to that before…"

Chad could hear Walter's teeth gnash together from where he was squatting. "Yes I have."

One of the other voices, Chad gave up trying to figure out which, replied. "Well, it's still not working. Maybe she just needs to rest."

Hearing about Sonny being in there with them meant at least he knew where she was, but it equally meant he had no way of getting to her without fighting his way through nerds. While he figured he could take them easy, he didn't want to risk Sonny getting in the middle of it, or worse them holding her hostage or something.

Chad peaked over the edge of the broken glass, using the corner of the hole to hide as much of his head as he could. The two other technicians were had their backs to him, facing Walter, who was struggling to hold a much taller Sonny.

Chad knew what was going to happen next before it did. Under the strain of Sonny's weight (despite her being only just over fifty kilograms), Walter's knees buckled, and Sonny's wig – which by some miracle had stayed on to this point – flopped off onto the ground. Walter shrieked and dropped her, and Chad lurched where he crouched. He had to grip a piece of debris to stop from rushing to Sonny.

Bursting in now wouldn't do anyone any good.

Walter let out a sound of revulsion, which just caused Chad to tighten his grip on what he now realised was a shard of glass. It sliced into his hand, dropping blood onto the floor below him, and he carefully placed it on the ground again.

Chad swore in his head all kinds of words he wanted to say aloud while beating the crap out of Walter and his cronies, but he had to hold it all in. For Sonny.

Walter scratched his head and nodded at the other two for help. Between them, they hoisted Sonny up and laid her on the desk, shoving calculators and a load of paper out of the way. It was too small for her height, so her legs dangled over the edge from her knees down, but at least they'd had the common sense to make sure her head was supported.

"I still love her… Her hair will grow back." He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anything. After a moment of thought, he added. "Let's give her some space. Maybe then she'll wake up. And board up that window. Use that door." Walter left the other two to do his bidding and went to sit on the chairs surrounding the other table.

By some sheer luck, Walter spent so long dusting off his seat that the other technicians had finished putting a spare door that had been on the floor in the office over the broken window, and Chad could sneak round the office to the door; somehow they hadn't seen him.

Chad closed the door to behind him, barely listening to Walters orders to clean up the rest of the glass, and hurried over to Sonny. He gave her a quick once over to make sure there was no severe damage that meant moving her would be dangerous, and then he started to scoop her into his arms.

Just when he thought they were on the home straight, he heard a clink of glass on the other side of the boarded up window.

One of the technicians called to Walter. "Walter, did you cut yourself when you broke through the window?"

Chad put Sonny back down and slowly stood up.

There was a pause which must have been Walter checking for war wounds, and then, "No, why?"

The technician seemed reluctant to carry on. "Um, well… There's a little bit of blood over here…"

A chair screeched across the concrete floors, and so followed the sound of what were undoubtedly perfectly polished dress shoes.

There was a tense few seconds of silence, and then Walter spoke as though he were making an announcement. "Right. Seems like we have an intruder. Spread out and search for him. Check the office."

One of the technicians crept towards the door. In a last ditch attempt, Chad moved so he was directly behind the door, and when Hiemy pushed the door so that it swung open, Chad lunged forward and smacked his fist into the unsuspecting nerds nose.

He'd expected more of a fight, but the boy just crumpled into a pile on the floor, unconscious. Chad smirked, thinking 'lightweight'.

The other two seemed to have noticed that their friend had fallen, and Walter – trying to be quiet – whispered, "Go check on him."

There was a small argument between the two, and what sounded like a few slaps between the tow (Chad felt kind of happy that this technician was standing up to Walter). Despite this, the other unnamed technician started heading towards the office.

Hoping for the best, Chad positioned himself exactly the same, and again he unleashed a fist in the boy's face. This one was almost as pathetic, but he required a knee in the stomach before he fell to the ground.

Chad was feeling pretty good about himself, and he almost laughed when he heard Walter nervously call out to his co-workers.

"Are you there?" He sniffled a little, and Chad hoped with all his might that he was crying like a little girl.

After at least a minute of whimpering, Walter began a slow shuffle to the office door. Chad decided not to push his luck, and to jump the gun on his attack. He didn't want to take any chances with Walter. Even though he was a nerd who was most likely wetting himself with fear, Chad still decided that Walter was a threat.

As Walter reached for the door handle, Chad burst through, hitting Walter as many times as he could, all before Walter had realised what was going on.

If the first technician had been a lightweight, Walter was a fairy. He practically swooned to the floor, and he stayed down. Chad added a kick in Walter's stomach for good measure.

Desperate to get out now, Chad ran back to Sonny and picked her up in one go. He tucked her head into his neck to protect it and held her close, all while making his way out of the warehouse.

He threw himself backwards through the door, slamming into Tawni. She gasped and fell backwards.

"Sorry!" He didn't stop though.

Only when they reached the abandoned car across the road did he stop and place Sonny down gently on the floor.

Tawni rushed over, unharmed by her fall. "Chad, the police phoned. They got the wrong address, and they'll be here in up to five minutes. I have to wait down the street to show them the way."

Chad nodded. It didn't matter now. Sonny was safe. He turned to Sonny and smiled at her calm face.

Only now did he notice just how still she was. His eyes furrowed together.

Chad leant in closer to speak to her.

"Sonny?"

Panic set in, and then – completely out of nowhere – an almost feral yell erupted from just behind them

Chad span around, hanging protectively over Sonny's body, to see a bloodied and bruised Walter running at him holding one of the rusty scalpels he'd seen inside.

In a flash of shockingly quick movement, Walter lunged forward and jammed the knife in Chad's leg. With a yell, Chad shuffled backwards and spread his arms out to protect Sonny. This seemed to be the last straw for Walter, and he ripped out the scalpel and went to stab him again, but this time a shot echoed down the deserted street.

Walter stumbled back, his mouth an 'o'. Chad watched in awe as Walter the technician fell to his knees, and then to his stomach, his blood seeping across the tarmac as he took his last breath.

Chad looked down the street to see a group of SWAT officers making their way down towards the warehouse entrance and to the now dead Walter.

Chad laughed, surprising himself. He turned back to Sonny, ignoring the pain in his leg.

She still hadn't moved, and Chad went back to confusion. He held a hand in front of her mouth, and waited for her breath.

It didn't come.

As a last ditch attempt, Chad pushed a couple of fingers into her neck to feel for a pulse, and no matter where he tried he didn't feel that familiar thump-thump he'd been so used to, hearing it every day on the heart monitor at the hospital.

Chad froze. There was no way she could be…

He wasn't sure what to do. There was nothing he could do. Then he thought…

Chad didn't even know where the idea came from, but he had to do _something_ and it was the only thing he could think of. He leant in towards her, trying to cherish the moment, but the urgency of the situation allowed little sentimentality.

Their mouths met, and Chad pressed against Sonny's supple lips, taking in her smell – of strawberry… strawberry and vanilla. His lips parted slightly, and he cradled her limp body, rocking it gently, trying for some kind of response. A small tear fell from the corner of his eye and landed on Sonny's cheek.

Chad pulled away, but didn't look away from her sunny face. Where was the smile that so often graced her features? Why wouldn't she respond?

A sob slipped through Chad's calm façade, opening the flood gates as his whole being slumped into sorrow.

"No, Sonny, no!" He yelled, almost angry now. "No!"

He shook her more, now, and one of the on-looking policemen stepped forward and placed a hand on Chad's shoulder. "Son."

It was a one word attempt at comfort, while at the same time letting Chad know he needed to calm down. Chad did so, reluctantly, but continued to croon after Sonny.

"Sonny, you can't go. Not after all this!"

He pressed another gentle kiss to her lifeless lips and shook his head against them, willing it to not be true.

"Sonny, please." Chad sobbed again. "Sonny, you can't be gone. I love you…"

Sonny stirred.

Chad froze, fear creeping through him. Was this a hallucination? If he moved, would she go back to being limp and unmoving?

Sonny murmured something, and Chad figured either he was hallucinating, and he needed to do the healthy thing and pinch himself, or it was real and–

"Chad?" Sonny opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head to get a better look at him.

Chad laughed nervously and clutched at her head to take the pressure off of her aching muscles.

"Yes, Sonny." Chad tenderly brushed a finger over her soft cheek. "I'm here."

Sonny made an attempt at a weak smirk. "This is a whole lot of trouble to go to just so you could get up the nerve to tell me you love me."

Chad laughed for real this time.

Sonny laughed with him, but winced slightly at the pain.

Shaking his head, Chad stroked her cheek again. "Just stay still; don't speak."

Sonny reflected his actions again and shook her head back. "What, and miss the chance to tell you I love you back, after all the drama we went through to get here? I think not."

With her last bit of energy, Sonny reached up and pulled Chad's head down to her face and kissed him.

A cheer erupted from behind him, and Chad noticed the dozen or so police officers and paramedics whooping and hi-fiving each other behind him. He grinned into the kiss, finally, truthfully, the happiest he had ever been.

Despite the gaping hole in his leg.

* * *

Fin

* * *

_So that's it. The end, no more. Tell me what your overall opinions are and if you have any ideas for other stories, suggestions are welcome. Love you all and thanks for the support 3_


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